Chapter 3: Coming Into Power

She pulled the arrow from his shoulder blade, Vlad grunted out in pain as he felt the arrowhead slip away from his flesh. Rolling his muscles he hissed out in pain when he felt his wound seep out blood. Seras merely pushed several medicinal herbs into his wound chanting words of healing. She continued this until the pain completely disappeared. Vlad looked over his shoulder as he watched Seras work, her hand constantly moving without pause.

"I spend more time on you than myself, that hasn't happened in decades I'll have you know", Seras mumbled as pulled the silk thread through his skin; tugging gently to make sure the string was taut. "From now on I shall no longer use my plants and herbs to heal your wounds. I will be using my blood runes and enchantments, I am wasting too much of my time foraging for these plants", Seras said tiredly. And it was true, in order to heal his wounds in a fast enough rate she would often leave the castle grounds for many hours returning looking haggard and positively tired only to return with a full bag of plants. She had started to grow some but she stated that for the magical properties of the plants to be high it must be freshly picked from where it originally came from. The herbs and plants she did grow had only good use for stomach pains, headaches and sore muscles and at its best with her enchantments and magic it could only heal small cuts.

Vlad had no idea where she got them, but he knew she spent much of her energy trying to find them. And he was sure that these herbs and medicines did not come this country or even continent, and since she got them every day for him in just a span of several hours he knew she was using her sorcery to travel great distances to get him the plants.

"Rest Seras, you have been working tirelessly these last couple days", Vlad murmured pulling her close to him rubbing her head soothingly. Seras grumbled a little but allowed him to hold her close, he gave her chaste kiss on her temple before getting up. Pulling off his shoes and tossing then aside he left to bathe himself to rid of the blood and stink.

Soon after he shut the bathroom door closed, Seras let out a huge sigh as she lay back on her seat, looking up at the ceiling. She had been spending too much of her energy these last couple years and her time was running out. Soon her time would come and she would have to leave Vlad and she couldn't do that. She had been holding it off for some time but she knew that she only had a couple of decades left before it came. It was inevitable, but she would ensure that Vlad would be living as a grand king of Wallachia. She promised him all those years ago. Only when he was a tiny child of the age fourteen, but now he was the age of twenty-one and he was so much taller than her. She was not a tall woman in the first place, but it troubled her to no amount of worry as she saw how Vlad towered over her. Easily able to swing her over his shoulder and easy for him to outrun her with his long legs. It seemed not so long ago was she able to pat him on the head but now he did that to her. Timed moved to fast for her. Or too slowly she never really bothered, time was a nuisance in her eyes but it was also such a beautiful and delicate thing. If she had been herself so long ago her time would've been finished already. But yet here she was.

Seras slowly closed her eyes as she placed her head on the wooden table, a small nap wouldn't be so bad she thought absentmindedly. Her thoughts drifting somewhere far away where the sand was golden and the skies were stained with blood, the cool chaste wind and the laughter of children filled her mind. It was such old memories and yet she could never forget them, hoping for a dreamless slumber she fell deeper into the void.

Vlad leaned back in the bath, the hot water enveloping entire body and soothing his cuts and bruises. Pulling his long hair behind him he looked towards the door, he couldn't hear her moving around. Maybe she had left to something or found something to amuse herself with. He didn't know, she had been quiet these last couple of days, often in a daze where he couldn't tell what transpired in her thoughts. Many things had happened within the last four years of escaping the sultan hold on him and his brother. But as things went from good it quickly went sour. His older brother and father had been both assassinated politically, his younger brother had turned their back on them becoming an Islamic and joining sides with the sultan and his attempt at becoming the Voivode of Wallachia which ultimately failed but was not a complete waste. He could remember the first time he had talked to Seras she had foretold of his brother's betrayal, and he believed it despite being only a fourteen. Cutting off all ties with Radu he isolated himself from the fool, jealousy and hate began boil from within when he gained the courts favour and became close friends with the sultan's son. He refused to even acknowledge such a person like that.

For three years he had been taken in by his uncle Prince Bogdan and he had treated him well enough like as if they father and son. His cousin Prince Stephen had also been a courteous young man and they shared a strong relationship as brothers in arms. Sharing their knowledge with the young Vlad he learnt many while under their care, becoming a fearsome tactician in his own right. Psychological warfare was what he excelled at, just knowing that you could defeat an enemy without even having to leave your room was frightening enough but when Vlad did it was even more so. Coupled with his horrific experiences as a child his tormented and twisted mind began to think the most horrific and outrageous way to subdue his enemies but his sadism was barely beginning to sprout. Several more years before his true nature started revealing itself.

His happy moments were short, often taken away from him when he was the most satisfied. Last year his uncle had been assassinated, but thankfully his cousin had managed to survive the assault. He remembered how his cousin hurried him out of the castle and urging him to flee while he still could. He vowed that no matter how it took he would repay the favour, and whatever favour he owed, no matter how big or small.

And now one year later here he was in the country of Transylvania living under the care of the Hungarian King Ladislaus who had been persuaded by the Hungarian military leader Janos Hunyadi to take him. Both seeing the great amount of potential in him they placed their bets on him. They began teaching him many things, and absorbing it all Vlad began to see the many wondrous things of war and conquest. It had always been on his mind but he saw the opportunity of it happening, he was already a fully grown adult. And because they had long left the sultan's barricaded palace Seras began to reveal herself to others which caused a great amount of stress for Vlad who had feared that she might be revealed as a witch and be persecuted but she assured him nothing of the sort would happen. The only problem was her age, she never aged but Seras said when they would leave she would erase their memories and it would be as if she had never been there in the first place. That wasn't his only worry, because of her foreign looks and curvaceous body she began receiving many suitors who asked for her hand in marriage. They all knew of her as a calm and gentle-mannered servant of Vlad Dracula who followed in his shadow. Quick-witted and intelligent she enraptured the young soldiers who served in the castle grounds.

But she would always politely refuse them with a pleasant smile on her face. That wasn't the only thing that was preventing them from professing their fondness for her, Vlad kept a close eye on her. Growing more and more overprotective of her, she was only thing left that kept him bordering sane and the only one that hadn't left him yet. Always constant and steady she would always be there waiting for him. Seras found it a little annoying but she couldn't blame him, there was a small part himself which so delicate and so fragile the tiniest push could send him hurtling into insanity and wrath. He was close to it that sometimes his monster came out from within, consuming everything in his path and creating havoc. It only happened when he fought but she realised that it was coming close to disturbing his normal life as well.

So she allowed him to be overprotective and clingy sometimes, after all she never used any of her sorcery to fight or defend herself with. Always hiding away when a bad situation arose, often using this method to hide Vlad away from unwanted pursuers. And it worked so she never used anything else.

Having enough to washing he got up and stepped out of the bath letting the water slide down his toned and tanned body. Fighting constantly and strict training regime he placed on himself had taken away all of his body fat and built his muscles. He was a lean, tall and fit man with handsome features that wooed the women so easily. He was naturally an attractive man and because of it a new woman would be brought into his bed at night. Not that Seras minded but she hated dealing with sobbing women who tried to return to Vlad claiming that they had fallen in love with him and wished to be his wives or concubine. Anything as long as they were able to experience the same pleasure over and over again. This also left many jealous women who loathed Seras with such hatred that it could make a saint cry. And the sole reason was because she was the only woman that Vlad kept close to him, this made the jealous women assume things despite not having proof.

Nothing was going on between her and Vlad but they continued to harass her, until that is Vlad decapitated one women's head off because she slapped Seras out of anger and jealousy. It was sheer coincidence that he saw it, normally Seras never mentioned about the treatment of the females towards her, but that day had been particularly dark for the women of the palace and for Seras. It was bad enough that Vlad witnessed Seras being slapped by some whore but one her nails had cut her cheek, drawing out blood. Vlad immediately drew out his blade cutting the woman's head cleanly off and even then he didn't stop his rage. His hacked at her body until it was a bloody pile of mushed up flesh and bone. The scene was so horrific that the people who were there to witness it either fainted or vomited. And even those who were long time veterans of war had to swallow down their bile.

Vlad was in such a rage that he took Seras by the waist and swung her torso over his shoulder carrying her back to his private chamber leaving the shocked bystanders. Tossing her on his bed he inspected the inflicted area on her cheek. The redness had already faded away and he saw the cut was already joining back together. He made her confess everything to him, every excruciating detail. He made sure those women who had harassed her never saw another light of day.

Ladislaus excused the behaviour only because there were plenty of women in the palace and five or six gone wouldn't change anything. Prostitutes and female slaves were aplenty so it made no difference. The second reason was because Vlad had such a sharp and fast thinking mind which saved their armies men from unnecessary death and bloodshed, he also was a brilliant comrade in battle, they also wanted him to be their ally in the future knowing he would be a great person someday. So Ladislaus overlooked it only once. But he warned that he were not to kill any female on his premises, outside of his castle he was free to kill whichever female as long as they were not noble or well acquainted with himself.

Because Vlad was given the slip many women stayed far away from him and Seras fearing that they might invoke his anger. But soon enough wanting to feel him again they slowly returned to him wanting to sleep with him once more. They couldn't deny him anything, however any act of hostility towards Seras had totally disappeared. Seras wasn't completely happy with his abuse of power but knowing his character he wouldn't listen to her anyways.

Draping a robe around him he padded out of the room, opening the door he found Seras fast asleep her head resting on the table with her arms folded underneath to support her head. He sighed as he scratched his moist hair. "You need more rest, fool", Vlad murmured as he walked up to her. She didn't stir at all in her slumber when he scooped her up in his arms, laying her in his bed and tucking her in. Making sure she was relaxed and not in any discomfort. He soon went to bed himself joining by her side after he blew out the candles.

Watching her chest rise and fall he didn't sleep until much later into the night. There was no movement underneath her eyelids and she lay perfectly still, he brushed some stray hair which fell when he pulled the bedsheets over him. Her porcelain skin illuminated in the dark room which its only light source was the moon itself.

"Nu mă lăsa", he whispered knowing that she didn't hear him in her deep slumber but he said it anyways.

"What should I bring?" Seras said taking out several books, plants and other various magical items. She tossed aside one of her jewellery which had been given to her by a suitor. She quickly skimmed through several of her books which Vlad was never allowed to touch let alone read. There was on particular book that Vlad was not even allowed to gaze on. It was an ancient looking book from the few spare glances he could get, but a better term for it would be a manuscript. Seras had once told him that this was foundation for all of her sorcery, enchantments, runes and magic. This was her starting point from all those years ago.

"You make it sound like as if we are going for a picnic instead of an assassination", Vlad said dully as he polished his sword. Running the cloth over the blade again and again until it gleamed, showing his reflection perfectly. Normally he would've thought his thoughts would be in more of a jumble or chaos but he was surprisingly calm about this whole ordeal. After four years of preparation he was ready, at the age of twenty-five he would make his return to Wallachia and claim his rightful throne. But first he had to get rid of the current Voivode of Wallachia, Vladislav. But that wouldn't take too long, a wolfish grin spread across his face as he thought how he was going to deal with that Turkish-friendly traitor.

"Well I want to make sure that this entire process goes long smoothly", Seras pulled a pair of silk gloves over hands, to Vlad's interest there was strange inscriptions and runes over the gloves and for a moment they glowed blue. Seras realised his sudden interest in her gloves, "They limit my powers, this will be the first time I'll be using combat sorcery for someone else's behalf". She combed his unruly hair, it was so wavy and often in a tangled mess, which made him look chaotic and mad when it swayed while he was fighting. It grew long and Vlad had not intentions of cutting it so she left it be.

Vlad slowly blinked his eyes in surprise, combat sorcery? This was truly going to be a show, he couldn't wait to see what form her magic will take when fighting. And if it was subtle slaughtering or a brutal and violent one. Either way it would truly be a sight for all, well perhaps just for him. Seras came over to his side and helped him out on his chainmail and his armour. Just for this occasion she created a whole armour from just sorcery, it took her a full two years to fully create it. From every single detail, the embellishment, the symbols, each small chai polished till it was sheen and shining. It took her so long because she kept on adding layers of spells to protect it from any possible weapon and attack from an enemy. Upon layer and layer she added she made sure his armour was practically indestructible. And to make it extra special she glossed the entire armour in a black paint which made him look like the dark lord of death himself. He was the very envision of a king.

"Are you not wearing an armour?" Vlad asked as he stood still while she fiddled with the knots and bolts. She shook her head as she worked, and finally when she was done she took the cape she hand-sewn for him. It was a black as well to match the armour, she carefully draped it over his shoulders and back fastening it on the side of his shoulder with a large golden circular pin. She gave out a satisfactory sigh when she was done, admiring her handiwork, smoothing out any wrinkles she gave him his sword which he sheathed.

"There, don't you look marvellous?" Seras said with a huge smile, her eyes sparkling. Vlad couldn't help but smile as well, his hard work was soon to be paid off. All his suffering and humiliation was going to be paid off as he finally reached the point where his life was now in his control and not in someone else's. But he swore to himself, to all who had wronged him will be tortured, humiliated, stripped of their title and prestige and then finally when they had nothing left but their bruised body and their insanity he would finally end their lives. A dark chuckle erupted from his mouth as his eyes narrowed most mischievously.

"Come Seras", holding out his hand. "My kingdom awaits their rightful leader", his hand waiting expectantly for her. She gave him a bright smile and took his hand as she grinned happily.

"Hoping for the best, my king!" She laughed, as she let Vlad lead them out from his room out into the courtyard where the soldiers were awaiting patiently. Roaring and stomping their feet and slammed their spears into the ground as they saw their general, Vlad Dracula. Ladisluas had a sly grin on his face as he watched the spectacle. He may be the king but he begrudgingly admitted that Dracula was truly a force to reckon with. In such a short amount of time he had gained their utmost respect and fear. He was truly a man with the qualities becoming of a king.

A wide and almost maniacal grin spread across Vlad's face as he drew out his sword and cheered with the soldiers, his sword gleaming in the sun reflection.

Soon, he was to be Voivode of Wallachia.

Nu mă lăsa - Never leave me/do not leave me

Three chapter in three days, wow I'm on a roll. But no seriously don't get used to these regular updates. Compensation for later.

Ok that's it for now, one more thing, I got a huge assignment that I have to do. It isn't due yet but I want to get a head start on it.

Fave, follow, review.

Peace out.