Hey everybody!
Oh boy, is there anyway I can apologize for this update being so late? Well, a lot has happened. I moved to very first own place. I've had two different jobs that took my time and my muse took a holiday without permission, that biatch.
Anyways, yeah, I want to say that I'm sorry for taking so long, and I'm not going to make a habit of this. …..who said it already is?!!
Anyways, thanks for wonderful reviews: hellsingfan101, Tsuki no Rekuen, Lord Makura, InstigateInsanity (well, hey, I have to cover centuries and I don't want to make this still when I'm fifty okay), dasdsd, Breeze13, Irena, Zombieac, Blue Bear, Cyndane and Fleatcher! You guys rock and roll!
Disclaimers: not mine, nope XP
CHAPTER 19: THE WITCH OF MOLDAVIA
When he was still human, someone had told him never to marry his first love for first loves hardly ever last. At least, Count Dracula thought recalling something like that. Pity was no one had warned him that the same would apply to the un-life.
The first decay with Elizabeth Bathory was spent playing their favourite game: random evilness. They feasted on blood, destruction and deaths. Not to make too much attention to anywhere near Borgo's pass, so the two would often take a couple weeks trips to other parts of the country, where they would let their bloodlust take control. Afterwards they would return to the castle, where they would slumber, sometimes even many months straight.
Elizabeth's dark side both intrigued and amused Dracula. To meet someone who was at the same level of his hatred, to whom he could show the darkest side of himself and not be horrified, was a thrilling and welcomed change from the usual reactions. Not to mention the delightfully twisted imagination she had.
Her favourite inventions were 'human beer barrel'. Basically she would put their prey hanging from his or her legs upside-down to the ceiling, and make a little cut to their throat, so the blood would pour to the goblets. Then she would use the healing powers of her own vampire blood to close the wound, and also keep the prey alive. One human could be used as a barrel for many days.
But, alas, when years passed, Dracula's interest to these activities started to fade and vanish. Elizabeth tried to come up with new ways to keep her Master still interested, but it was in vain. Dracula ultimately became to detest the woman's bloodlust and vanity. The amount of people she would hunt and kill weekly alone was ridiculous, but when she didn't even eat most of them but used their blood, the nectar of life, to bath in it...
...he became disgusted.
Dracula became infuriated and offended. He hated to admit he would have made a mistake in turning Elizabeth to a vampire, so he couldn't bring himself to destroy her. Instead he chose to ignore her altogether.
Elizabeth however would have none of that. She became clingy and attention seeking, to the point that it drove him insane. He started to beat her, torture her even, but stopped when realising that she enjoyed it. Elizabeth had become to view him as an almost God like figure, worship and love him. Any attention she got from him, tender or cruel, was cherished.
He still couldn't destroy her, for it would mean admitting a mistake he had made, so Dracula opted to go to many journeys, leaving her to Borgo's Pass. She would wait, counting days even, because she knew he couldn't abandon his 'nest' and would always come back.
--
In 1630 Dracula was on one of his journeys, cooling himself off of how Elizabeth had managed to annoy him once more, and he had decided to visit neighbour country Moldavia. He remembered the warm summer days he had spent here in his youth, after escaping from the Turks. He remembered his most trusted friend Stefan, who in his later years had married the daughter of his treacherous brother Radu, to keep peace. But back then they had been friends, best of friends, and oh the fun they had.
Dracula could still recognise some of the places, but in two centuries Moldavia also had changed. This, Dracula understood, was the toughest part of being a vampire. Not the constant bloodlust or being damned, but to be out of time. World changes and a vampire who doesn't adapt is a vampire doomed.
On his mindless trips in the forests of Moldavia, Dracula suddenly became aware of large number of people who had gathered in the middle of the night. Hiding his presence, he became interest to see what the commotion was about. In the woods, not too far from the Vajda Castle, that Dracula knew belonged to local ruler Prince Vajda, he could see men dressed in black robes.
The Moldavian Inquisition, he realised. He knew that they worked together with Iscariot. He saw two people in the middle of the inquisitors. One was a man, tied to a stake, and with a spiked Mask of Satan nailed to his face. The other was a woman, whom he could see, was about to be branded with the Mark of Witch.
This is a trial. But kept in secrecy. These people must be very important then.
Dracula watched as hot iron met the woman's skin and she screamed as she was branded. The woman was young, in her early twenties the most, with dark hair and gleaming eyes. She was very beautiful.
One of the men in robes stepped forward to speak to her.
"Asa", he said, "daughter of the House of Vajda. This High Court of the Inquisition of Moldavia, has declared you guilty of practising witchcraft and devil worshiping. I, the second born son of Prince Vajda, as Grand Inquisitor condemn you. And as your brother, I deny you! Too many evil deeds you have done to satisfy your monstrous love for that servant of the devil, Igor Javutich!"
Dracula realised they were speaking about the still body of a man on the stake.
"May God have pity on your soul, in this your final hour. Cover her face with the Mask of Satan. Nail it down! May the cleansing flames reduce her foul body to ashes so that the wind will obliterate all traces of her existence" the man said fanatically.
Dracula saw as one of the inquisitors brought another spiked Mask of Satan towards the tied Asa. A flash of fear crossed her face, but it quickly turned to fury and defiance. She turned her eyes to the Grand Inquisitor, her brother.
"Brother, it is I who denies you! And in the name of Lucifer I place a curse upon you! Go ahead, tie me down to the stake, but you will never escape my wrath or that of the Dark Lord's! My revenge will strike down you and your cursed house! I will not rest till you have suffered!"
Asa could speak no more for the Mask was placed upon her face. A huge man with a hammer came and with one swift strike nailed the mask to her face. A blood chilling scream was heard behind the mask. The inquisitors then took her still twitching body to the stake, intending to burn it.
Dracula watched all this from the shadows with great fascination. Could it have really been just coincidence that the woman Asa had just declared to get her revenge on her brother even beyond death, while he was there? He had to admit he was interested of the woman. She was beautiful with a strong will and spirit in her. And Dracula also knew a thing or two of being betrayed by ones brother.
Coincidence or some infernal plan? He didn't care. He couldn't let a chance like this slip by. Besides it was once more a good way of giving grey hairs to the priests of Section XIII.
With his will, Dracula summoned storming clouds over the woods. People were startled when the peaceful night suddenly changed to that of rain, thunder and lighting. Terrified they ran away and Dracula swiftly moved to the stake, and to still barely breathing body of Asa.
"Asa" he whispered in her ear "did you mean what you said? Do you so desire your revenge that you will give up your last chance of making peace with God? Are you willing to become a damned creature and walk in the eternal darkness? If so, then speak!"
And from her moans of pain he was able to hear a very faint "yes".
"So be it".
--
The inquisitors returned later to find Asa's dead body. They did not dare to wait till rain was over to burn her, but instead buried her in the chapel of her ancestors.
Dracula himself hid in the ruins of a long since burned monastery, where he rested and waited, while his gypsy warriors kept watch. He didn't have to wait for long, for hardly had a month passed when rumours spread that a strange decease had taken over the Vajda Castle. Prince himself, as well as his second son the Grand Inquisitor, was bedridden, delirious and constantly praying. Servants fled in fear and there was much talk of plaque.
When someone claimed they had seen the walking corpse of the executed Igor Javutich walking inside the Vajda castle, the peasants gave into their fears. A mob was gathered and it marched to the castle, and set it in fire. Both the Prince and his son died in the flames.
Tragic irony or poetic justice, Dracula mused.
When the mob had left, Dracula himself ventured to the crypt of Vajda family, located conveniently far from the castle, so flames had not reached it. He found Asa there, along with undead Javutich. Unlike Asa, who was still beautiful, despite small marks on her face that still hadn't healed, Javutich was rotting.
"He is a ghoul" Dracula said, while making his presence known. "He was already dead when I gave the dark gift to you. You brought him back, but that is the best you could do. He is nothing but a doll in your command now".
"I had figured as much" Asa replied. "I knew you'd come once my revenge was completed. Have you come to take my soul?"
"You no longer have one. You're a vampire, nosferatu, same as I. We are freed from the burden of having a soul. But a newborn vampire, such as yourself, alone without guidance is a vampire lost. Unless you intend to climb that coffin and wait there till your flesh rots and bones turn to dust, which I assure will take time, I advise you to come with me".
"To where?" she asked.
"To my castle, in Transylvania".
Asa looked at him curiously now. "Who are you?"
"I am your Master now. I am Dracula".
A look of surprise passed Asa's eyes. "I have heard of you. In the summoning of the witches and from the demons that visited my dreams. Sometimes your name came up. Whispered, with fear and respect".
Dracula had no idea if what she spoke was true or her fevered imagination, but didn't really care.
"What about him?" Asa asked, indicating the ghoul Javutich.
"He is yours, you choose his faith" Dracula replied.
Asa thought for a moment and then kneeled beside the living corpse. "We shall meet one day again, in Hell".
Then the ghoul was no more.
--
Dracula did not find a partner for himself from Asa, but instead she became somewhat of a friend. Her knowledge and interest to witchcraft and dark arts lead to many interesting discussions between them. Also she did have natural ability of being evil, like him, without over doing it like some people.
Elizabeth did not take it well when Dracula brought a new woman to his castle. She felt threatened and became defensive. She viewed Asa as a rival, someone who was going to take her place as Dracula's bride. Since Dracula ordered them to 'behave', she couldn't downright go and kill Asa to her coffin. However, she did become bitter and angry towards the Moldavian witch, and started to perform various tricks for her that changed from cruel to downright childish.
Asa on her part viewed Elizabeth as a very petty and pathetic woman, and downright ignored most of her antics. The only time Elizabeth got a reaction from Asa was when she charmed one of gypsy warriors to fill Asa's coffin with garlic. It took several days before the stench left and that time, and only that time, was Asa ready to kill Elizabeth.
For Dracula, this was all good laughs.
As time passed Dracula came to accept that while both women did have their strong sides, neither was the kind of person he would come to think of as a real partner. There was no No-Life Queen.
Isabel...I guess you really were the only one for me, Dracula thought somewhat melancholically, trying to remember each little detail of his dead wife. To his dismay, he realised that after two centuries some things were beginning to disappear from his memory.
I can just barely still remember her eyes...those beautiful eyes...she is beginning to disappear from me...as does my son Mihnea...I can't replace them...
But suddenly Dracula felt startled. A sudden idea had entered to his head. Idea that felt so impossible that only a fool with nothing better to do would try it. But then again, he didn't really have much to do.
Could he really try something that no vampire before him had even dared to dream of? Could he be the first of the undead to achieve this?
Could I still become a father?
To be continued...
Princess Asa Vajda, the Moldavian witch is a fictional character, who appeared in Mario Bava's 1960 Italian horror classic movie "L Maschera del Demonio", also known as "Mask of Satan" and "Black Sunday". She was played in the movie by Barbara Steele. It's a very cool old school horror classic that I recommend seeing if you're a least bit interested.
Till next time!