A Song of Ice, Fire and the Dead
…
Chapter 37: Symphony of Night
Saeko landed on her back with a small thump and a moment later, she felt Aegon land beside her. Her back aching and her head ringing, the samurai sat up with a grunt of pain and discomfort. Looking around, she saw that she and Aegon were in a forest with signs of winter snow.
Looking to her lover, Saeko shook him. "Egg? Are you alright?" she asked him.
"…I've been better," muttered the young man as he sat up and rubbed his chest where the Fiend had struck him. "Seven hells! Feels like a blacksmith's anvil was dropped on me!" he complained.
"Let me see," Saeko then started looking over her lover's apparent injury. Gently prodding Aegon's chest, she asked him, "Does it hurt to breath at all?"
"A little, but I'm sore more than anything," came Aegon's reply as he wheezed painfully.
"Hm. I'm no expert but you might have some fractured ribs, or a very nasty bruise at the least," Saeko informed him. "We'll need to find a doctor to look you over," she then stated.
"Which brings up a question: where are we?" Aegon pointed out as he looked at their surroundings. "Are we somewhere in Skellige?" he asked.
"I don't know. Maybe?" Saeko offered thoughtfully. "We'll have to find the nearest town to find out where we are," she said.
"Alright. Let's get out of here then," Aegon declared as he stood to his feet if a little unsteadily. Saeko stood up beside him and hooked her arms beneath his shoulders.
"Lean on me, my love," she told him with a warm smile.
"What I would without you, Lady Saeko?" Aegon said with a cheeky grin on his lips despite his injuries.
"Die?" Saeko suggested playfully in response to her boyfriend's words.
"You wouldn't let me," Aegon shot back with equal playfulness.
"No. I wouldn't," Saeko said mock seriously. "I forbid you to die!" she ordered Aegon sternly although her blue eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke the words.
Aegon laughed and kissed his girlfriend on the cheek who smiled bashfully and giggled as they then made their way out of the forest, enjoying each other's company. As they walked through the forest, the sound of crows cawing above them could be heard.
"Crows?" Aegon murmured in thought as he looked up to see the black feathered avians circling in the sky.
Saeko looked up and nodded. "We must be near a town," she remarked as they continued their way. Upon exiting the tree line, the pair stopped and gawked at what they were seeing.
Saeko's initial thoughts were that they had been deposited elsewhere in Skellige. And while she would admit that she had not seen Skellige in all its entirety, the sight of a high walled city was unfamiliar to her. The walls were tall and heavily fortified and there was little in the way of entry points. Even more curious was that the main gate was barricaded with piles of corpses piled up in front of the entrance.
"Where are we?" Aegon asked.
"I don't know, but I don't think we're in Skellige anymore," replied Saeko.
"Is this Novigrad, perhaps?" Aegon suggested.
"Maybe?" Saeko looked at her lover and said to him, "Either way, we need to get inside and find out where we are."
Looking at the barricaded gate and the smaller buildings that had been destroyed, Aegon wryly commented, "Seems like they're not fond of visitors and don't wany anyone to come or go."
"No. That doesn't appear to be the case," Saeko agreed. Together, they searched for a way inside the fortified city.
And as luck would have it, the pair found an entry point in the form of a sewage pipe. Scrunching up their noses in disgust, the two warriors climbed up the drainage pipe, trying not to gag at the wafting stench of faeces and waste products people tossed down the drain. Thankfully, no-one in the city saw fit to empty their chamber pots at this time of day. Entering the city, Saeko and Aegon spotted a guardsman on duty, although the man was slacking off if the way he was slumped over, using his pike to brace himself as he dozed off on the spot.
silently passing the man, the two warriors entered the streets and saw the state of disrepair the town was in. People were gathering the bodies of the recently deceased, most of whom looked like wild animals had torn them apart. Others were trying to perform repairs to the buildings and homes.
Aegon noticed the sad grim looks on everyone's faces as he and Saeko walked the streets. "You could find more cheer in a graveyard," he commented grimly.
Seeing a mother and her child seemingly struggling, Saeko pulled out a handful coins and knelt in front of the struggling pair. "Here," she offered them some coins.
The mother looked up at Saeko in surprise and asked, "W-What's this for?"
"You look like you could use it more than me," Saeko said with a kind smile. "Take it," she encouraged the woman who nervously took the coin with shaking hands.
"Thank ye, my lady! A thousand blessings!" the mother said gratefully.
"One thing; could you tell my companion and I where we are?" Saeko asked. "We're a little lost and don't know where we are," she said in explanation.
"You're in the City of Gresit in Wallachia, my lady. Thank you for the coin," the mother replied as she and her daughter scurried off to buy some food and medicine.
"That was very decent of you," Aegon said to his girlfriend who smiled at him.
"They looked like they needed it more than us," she said to her paramour. "In any case, we now know where we are," she added. A thoughtful look was on the samurai's face as she stated, "Wallachia… that was the old name for Transylvania in Romania back home. Have we landed in Earth's past?"
"I wouldn't know what to tell you," Aegon said with a shrug of his shoulder as they walked through the streets. "Anything seems possible given the nature of how we landed here," he added.
"Yes, it seems possible," Saeko agreed as they reached what was the market square. In the centre of the square was the statue of a kneeling knight, a cloak wrapped abouts it shoulders, and a lance held in its stony right hand.
Finding a stall vendor, a teenage girl trying to sell her wares which consisted of fruits. "Anything I can do for you?" she asked the two warriors, her voice strained in politeness.
Aegon handed over some coins. "A couple of sweet apples if you have any," he requested.
The stall vendor handed over a pair of red apples. Aegon then handed over a handful of coins which surprised the young woman.
"This is too much!" she protested.
"Keep it," Aegon told her before continuing. "A question if I may?"
"Of course, my lord, anything you'd like," the stall owner said with a grateful smile on her face, her mood greatly brightened by the generosity Aegon showed her.
And throughout the market square, Aegon and Saeko learnt what had befallen Gresit and Wallachia at large. It turned out, the vampiric dark lord, Dracula, had attacked Targoviste, a major city in Wallachia, most recently and wiped it off the map. The reason for the attack was that last year, a woman named Lisa Tepes, accused of witchcraft and black magic, was burned at the stake. To make it worse, Lisa Tepes was the wife of Dracula who gave the people of Wallachia one year to leave the country or die.
The people ignored the warning and stayed thinking it the threat an empty promise, but true to his word, Dracula with an army of the night attacked Targoviste, slaughtering the inhabitants, including the Archbishop who had been the one to order Lisa Tepes' execution.
And just last, the hordes of the night swept through Gresit and did a wave of 'cleansing' before leaving as the sun rose.
"Is there any means of a defensive effort?" Saeko asked an arms merchant, one of the people they had come across in their investigation.
"I don't know if there will be any, given the morale of the people and the Bishop's influence," came the reply.
Aegon took note of the last part of the sentence and asked, "The Bishop's influence?"
The merchant nodded at this. "Let me tell you a story, the story of the Sleeping Soldier," he began. "Legend says that the Sleeping Soldier was a great hero hundreds of years ago. When his task was done, he lay to sleep beneath the city until he was needed again," he narrated.
"And the reason for that was?" Saeko asked.
"Legend says that it was to prevent grave robbers desecrating his resting place. But the Sleeping Soldier sleeps beneath the city waiting for the day he would rise from his tomb to save the people once more."
"Do you really believe that?" Aegon asked the man.
"As a child, I believed the stories. But these days, I wouldn't know what to think," he replied before looking at the statue of the knight in the market square. "These days, people will believe anything to give themselves hope," he said sadly. "Perhaps one day, the Sleeping Soldier will return to save the people?" he added with a hopeful look in his eyes.
"Truly?"
The merchant had a faint smile on his lips. "Maybe, but best keep quiet about that. Remember what I said about the Bishop's influence?" Aegon and Saeko both nodded at that. "The Bishop detests the Old Ways. Just as Dracula's monster come during the night, so do the Bishop's men come during the day," he warned them.
The two warriors nodded at this and thanked the merchant for his help, giving him some coins for the information. The pair continued on their way, talking with more of the townsfolk.
It turned out that there was a relief effort in the form of a passing group of nomads called the Speakers; men and women wearing blue cloaks who learnt and carried the oral and spoken stories and histories of others with them. They were said to be healers and scholars with many thanking them for their help.
But just as many were quick to blame the Speakers for what was happening to Gresit. Some of the closeminded townspeople proclaimed that it was because of the Speakers that the Sleeping Soldier had not come to save them from the Night Hordes. And those same people wanted the Speakers to leave Gresit so that everything could return to what passed for normal with the Bishop's men protecting them.
"Seems like the Bishop has most of the people set against the Speakers," Aegon rationalised to Saeko. "And given what we've learnt, the people will be swayed by just about anything if it means thing will get better for them," he further said.
"A bad combination, but we won't know until we meet with these Speakers," Saeko replied. "But I will say that this Bishop doesn't sound like someone I would align myself with," she said with some distaste.
"Nor would I," Aegon nodded in agreement. "We should try and find these Speaker and talk with them," he stated.
"Yes, but where could they be?" Saeko asked. "This city is large, and the sun is already beginning to set," she reminded as she pointed to the sun which had begun to reach the far horizon.
Aegon opened his mouth to say something when the sound of a commotion caught his and Saeko's attention. "What ever could that be?" he wondered aloud as he headed in the direction of the noise.
Peering around a corner, Saeko and Aegon saw a trio of men wearing immaculate black robes escorting, or more accurately shoving an elderly man wearing blue robes where they wanted him to go.
"Bishop's men?" Aegon asked his girlfriend as he observed the scene.
"Bishop's men," Saeko confirmed with a grim expression on her face.
"Get moving, Speaker!" the leader of the Bishop's men snarled at the old man. He had a bearded face and held of a staff on his hands.
Keeping out of sight for the moment, Aegon and Saeko watched as the three thugs shoved the old man down an alleyway, presumably to give him a beating for some crime he had not committed. Along the way, they passed a man wearing a fur lined black cloak before coming to a secluded alleyway.
The man in the fur cloak caught Saeko's attention. She had spotted the man wandering about the marketplace earlier in the day.
"I warned you!" the bearded staff wielding priest spat at the old man. "Can't say you weren't warned!"
The elderly Speaker looked at the man and calmly spoke. "You did not listen to me, sir." His words were calm; clearly he was trying to reason with his soon-to-be tormentors
The bearded priest looked like he had just been insulted as he growled out, "So now I'm stupid? Is that it?" he demanded. "I work within the Light of God Himself! Yet I can't see things your black magic can?" he asked furiously.
"There's no magic, sir. We are here to help."
The bearded thug got right in the old man's face and said, "Speakers don't help! Speakers are tainted! You attract and bring evil with you! And you and yours were told to leave Gresit by sunset!" he accused before grabbing the old man by the head to direct towards the sky. "And you can see the sun is setting, old man!"
Saeko narrowed her eyes at this display. These weren't holy men at all; they were simply thugs who had the protection of the Church or rather the Bishop who paid their wages.
"Would killing an old man make you less afraid of the dark?" the Speaker asked blandly.
The priest smirked at this before replying, "I don't know." Raising his staff above his head to strike the old man, he added, "Maybe it'll just make me feel better?"
Having had enough of the display, Aegon prepared to draw his sword and intervene when the sound of the air cracking as something rushed down the alley and struck the hand the priest used to hold his staff. A scant second later, the priest screamed in pain, clutching a now bleeding hand that was missing a finger.
"What was that?" Aegon asked and he wasn't alone as the three priests and the Speaker looked down at the other end of the alley as the man Saeko had spotted earlier, holding in his hand a whip with an almost absurd length to it.
"Oh, bugger! Sorry 'bout that! I meant to snatch the stave outta your hand?" the whip wielder said regretfully. "How's your finger?" he asked the injured priest in mock concern a whimsical smirk on his lips.
"What fucking finger?!"
The whip wielder gave a sardonic grin and gave out a smartarsed response, "That's no way for a man of the cloth to talk. Why don't you go and get that looked at?" he suggested helpfully.
"Kill the bastard!" bellowed the maimed priest.
The whip wielding warrior sighed as he came towards the group saying, "Look, I don't like priests at the best of times. I mean, I really, really don't like priests." His words were emphatic as he continued, "If you leave now, then we'll say now more about it."
From what Saeko could tell, a fight was inevitable, but she had a feeling that the new arrival was inviting the opportunity.
"Kill him now!"
The whip wielder smirked widely and gave out a warning. "Last chance. It'll get messy."
The other two priests, a thin bald man and a gruff looking one, pulled out their weapons. With a flick of his arm, the bald priest slid out a long knife from the sleeve of his robe and grasped it in his hand. The other priest pulled out a small mace from his coat.
The choice of weapons was commented on by the new arrival. "I can sorta understand the mace you have. But I find it funny to see what your friend has," he said before looking at the knife wielding holy man. "That's a thief's knife," he remarked with wry amusement.
With a growl, the knife wielder dashed forward with his knife raised in the air.
"Look, I'm out of practice, but I'm stone-cold sober," the fur cloaked man said whimsically.
The bald-headed man swung his knife at the man who side-stepped him with ease.
The mace-armed priest was ready to charge forward when the razor edge of a sword gently touched his jugular. Freezing on the spot, the man tried to look who was holding a blade to his artery and saw Aegon with his sword drawn and the spell-forged edge just scraping the fleshy spot where the jugular artery lay.
"Ganging up on an old man?" the Valyrian asked him in a steely voice. "What kind of holy man would do that?" he mocked.
The priest sneered in rage. "Who are you to infringe on the work of God?!" he roared as he prepared to turn around and strike the young man. Only for a heeled boot from Saeko to strike the priest in the jaw hard, knocking a few rotten and yellowed teeth from his mouth and he fell to the earth like a sack of potatoes, groaning in pain with a mouthful of blood.
Hoisting the semi-conscious thug up, Aegon tossed the man over to where his bald compatriot was kneeling, clutching his bloody eye socket which no longer had an eye. The stranger must've ripped the man's eye out during the fight.
At this point the other combatant looked over at Aegon and Saeko and commented on this. "Well, you two are interesting. Who are you supposed to be?" he asked them conversationally.
"Just passing through and lending a hand to those who need it," Saeko said quickly in response with Aegon nodding to back up the words.
The man regarded the words before shrugging his shoulders in acceptance. Looking to the elderly Speaker, the whip fighter took a moment to speak to the thugs. "Still awake? Good. I suggest you take your friends and scurry back to your church and don't bother this man and his friends ever again," he advised.
The lead priest with the now missing finger on his hand gritted his teeth before gathering his compatriots and hurried out of the alleyway to safe grounds.
With the fight finished, Aegon took a good look at the other man. On the surface, the man had an appearance reminiscent of someone from the North of Westeros with dark shaggy brown hair and a thin wispy beard on his jaw. A noticeable scar trailed down over the man's left eye. Beneath the large fur cloak, Aegon spotted the man's garb appeared to be of relatively fine make but sadly looked a bit dirt stained and he spotted what looked like a crest of some kind over the man's heart of his tunic.
The elderly Speaker came forward to speak to them. "The violence wasn't necessary," he let out a small chuckle, "But it is appreciated."
"Someone had to step in and stop those men," Saeko replied to the old man's words. Aegon and the fur cloaked man both nodded in agreement at this.
The Speaker nodded in acceptance before introducing himself. "I am the elder of the Codrii Speakers. Thank you all for your kindness and, I think, your restraint," he said to them.
Aegon introduced himself and Saeko. "I'm Aegon and this is Saeko," he said before he looked at the other man and asked, "And you are?"
"Trevor… and you're welcome, Elder," the whip fighter said to the Speaker. "Can I accompany you to your train?" he offered.
"We have settled here in Gresit. No caravans," the Elder replied as he ushered everyone along. "But I would be glad your company on the way to our lodging," he said.
As they walked along on the path out of the alleyway and Trevor spoke to the Elder. "How many are you?" he asked the old man.
"Eleven," said the Elder. "But I insist we be counted as twelve," he added.
"One of your own is missing?" Saeko asked him.
"Yes, you're very perceptive, young lady," the Elder remarked in approval. "But that can wait until we reach our lodgings," he said as he looked around.
It did not take long to reach the above where the Elder and his group lived. In a large open area, a lone house that looked like it had seen better days sat. Neither Aegon, Saeko or Trevor knew if it was because of the Night Hordes or just years of neglect that was the reason the house was in such a sorry state.
"This is where we live," the Elder informed the group as he opened the door. "Please, come inside. Meet my people," he offered.
Entering the room, they were greeted with the rest of the Codrii Speakers. Dozens of lit candles and lanterns were littered about to give the residence some light. And in one lonely corner, one of the Speakers was pulling some rations from a crate. Saeko had to guess that they didn't have much, the reason being that they couldn't afford to be weighed down when travelling from place to place. They were a nomadic people from what she had learnt of them, so it would make sense that they didn't carry much with them.
One of the Speakers, a young man with tanned skin and brown hair and eyes rose his seat and spoke to the Elder with relief in his voice. "Elder! We were all worried about you! I told you it was too dangerous to go outdoors!" he admonished.
"And I told you it was necessary to offer aid to the people of Gresit," countered the Elder. "However, I was accosted by some Christian Priests," he said regretfully.
The other Speakers had worried looks on their faces. "Are you alright, Elder?" the tan skinned one asked in worry.
"I am, thanks to these fine fellows," replied the Elder gesturing to Saeko, Aegon and Trevor. "But I fear there will be trouble ahead because of it," he said ruefully.
The tan skinned Speaker looked at the three, narrowing his brown eyes at them. "What did you do?" he asked them in a tight voice.
"We didn't do much," Aegon protested. "Trevor on the other hand…" he added.
"I might be a little out of practice," Trevor admitted.
"And you sliced one's finger off with your whip and ripped the eye out of the other one!" Saeko retorted.
"They're still alive! And I saw you kick a few of the other priest's teeth out!"
The young Speaker grew very nervous at this. "You used violence on them?" he asked looking horrified at the thought of such actions being performed.
The Elder spoke in the young Speaker's defence. "The younger people believe that words can speak louder than actions," he explained to his three protectors.
"And how far has that gotten you?" Aegon asked them cuttingly.
"Well, they are Speakers," Trevor reminded him. "Words are kinda they're thing," he added.
"You know of us?" the young Speaker asked Trevor in surprise.
Trevor moved over to a nearby window to glance outside before replying to the question. "My family's always been on good terms with the Speakers, although my father got into a fight with one," he said slowly.
"True Speakers do not fight," the young Speaker said fervently as if it were law.
"What was the fight about?" Saeko asked Trevor, curious about the subject.
"My father tried to convince a Speaker to have their oral history transcribed onto paper."
The Elder let out a small smile and chuckle. "We are quite protective of our ways," he admitted good naturedly. "History is a living thing. Paper is dead," he also said.
"I wouldn't say that," Aegon cut in. "The problem with oral history is that over time it becomes muddled as the facts can be mixed up or forgotten or even omitted. Or someone may have a bias and may wish to tell only the history they wish to," he said.
Trevor smirked at this, clearly agreeing with the sentiment, much to the young Speaker's ire.
"Even if what you say is true, the same can be said of written history. Often scholars and historians have a bias on historical events and will omit or change important details of what truly happened!"
The Elder then stepped in to prevent and argument from escalating. "You must understand, Aegon. We are not willing to part with our traditions that easily," he said patiently.
"Fair enough," Aegon said not seeing the point in arguing the matter further. It would only go in circles with pointless debating which would devolve into even more pointless bickering.
"Now, would you three care for something to eat?" the Elder offered his rescuers.
"I'd prefer something to drink," Trevor quickly said in response.
"Something to drink would be welcome," Saeko said with a grateful nod of her head.
The Elder turned to the young Speaker. "Arn, bring our guests some water," he requested.
"Oh, the…" Trevor realised something. "Never mind then," he quickly said.
Arn brought some cups with water in them and gave to Aegon and Saeko who nodded their thanks and drank from them, quenching their first. Looking at Trevor, Saeko asked, "I take it you wanted something stronger than water?"
"Something like that," came the tired reply.
"What made you think they had any alcohol at all?" Saeko then asked the man who didn't have a good answer to that question.
Getting to the point of the discussion, Trevor then said to the Elder, "Perhaps you can tell me why you are here."
Arn spoke up at this. "Speakers live anywhere they deem right. You know that surely," he said.
"I know that the Speakers are nomadic tribes. Yet you've been here a while it seems," Trevor countered with a deadpan look on his face.
"And what makes you say that?"
"The locals are blaming you for the attacks," came Trevor's blunt deadpan response.
"That is the Church's doing!" Arn argued. "They need someone to blame for their troubles!"
"At the cost of your reputation?" Aegon asked. "And at the expense of the good you've done for the people of Gresit?" he also said.
"They merely wish to divert the people from the truth," the Elder replied. "That the Church themselves brought Dracula's hordes down on the people of Wallachia for what they did to earn Dracula's wrath," he said in explanation.
"Really?" Trevor drawled out.
"There was a witch burning last year," Saeko stated as she remembered what she been told earlier today.
"There's been plenty of witch burnings, kid," Trevor said dismissively.
"But this witch in particular was Dracula's wife," Saeko replied.
Trevor had a slightly surprised look on his face before saying, "Well… shit."
The Elder couldn't disagree with Trevor's choice of words and said, "That is indeed one way of putting it. The Speakers who happened to be present in Targoviste when it happened also felt the same way."
Composing himself, Trevor said, "You still haven't answered my question." He fixed the Elder a mild glare.
The Elder sat on a nearby box and let out a tired sigh. "There is no structure left in Gresit. No doctors, no aid." He looked at Trevor sadly as he continued. "If you know the Speakers, then you know we cannot turn away from those who need our aid. That is the reason why we are here," he stated.
"A noble task," Aegon remarked in approval. "But that can't be the only reason," he said knowingly.
Arn then said softly to the Elder, "You might as well tell them the rest."
The Elder gave a reluctant sigh and spoke slowly. "There is a story in Speaker history. It's a legend, an old one."
"I like stories," Trevor replied and neither Aegon nor Saeko could tell if the man was being sarcastic or not.
The Elder continued despite the interruption. "The story says that there is a saviour sleeping in the catacombs beneath Gresit, a great hero who sleeps until the time he is needed, until darkness is upon the land."
"Oh, that one! The Sleeping Soldier," Trevor interrupted. "I've heard of it," he said.
"We've heard of it today too," Saeko said with a nod of her head. "Some people actually believe that the Sleeping Soldier exists," she added.
"Sounds oddly convenient if you ask me."
"And how exactly do you know that?" asked the Elder looking at Trevor.
Trevor then partly moved his cloak to reveal a crest on his tunic. "Because I'm a Belmont," he stated as both a statement of fact and of pride.
Aegon looked at the sigil closely now that it was revealed to everyone in the room. It was golden yellow in colour with what appeared to be dragons facing back-to-back with a cruciform nestled between them. The rest of the crest was in an ordinated styling.
Neither Aegon nor Saeko what Trevor had meant by revealing his family name or the crest on his tunic, but the Speakers in the room all looked at the man in wonder and awe. If Saeko had to guess, these Belmonts were an important family or organization.
Trevor then covered his family crest back up and said, "So I know that you're a nomadic people who gather and learn knowledge, memorise it and carry complete spoken histories with you. I also know that you gather hidden knowledge and have magic practitioners among your tribes."
Arn shook himself out of his surprise. "You are a Belmont? I thought your family were all gone!" he said.
Trevor snorted in derision at this. "If by gone, you mean exiled, excommunicated, hated and burned out of the family home? Then yes, we're gone."
Aegon felt himself be reminded of what had happened to his family house. As far as he knew, he and his aunt Daenerys Targaryen were the last two of their house back home. That is to say, if Aegon himself was actually a Targaryen and not a pretender…
Before he could ponder further, Aegon heard the Elder say, "Then you know something of magic, and so you know that just because we found a story in our past, it doesn't mean it originated there." The Elder went on, "The wisest and cleverest of our magicians and scholars know that dying is not absolute. That it is possible to hear stories from the future."
"Like seers, oracles and fortune tellers perhaps?" Aegon asked and all the Speakers looked at him in surprise. "What? It's a valid observation!" he said.
Trevor shook his head, but he too had the same thought. "So, you think there's someone sleeping underneath this shit pile of a city, and you're here waiting for him?" he asked the Elder coarsely, questioning the validity of the folk tale.
"One of us went to look for him," the Elder replied.
"And that would be your missing twelfth Speaker?" Saeko asked.
"Yes. That one went into the catacombs under the mausoleum west of the church… and has not returned," said the Elder.
Saeko noted how the Elder referred to their missing member as "that one,". There was something the Elder wasn't telling them, but she could tell that the man was particularly worried about their twelfth member, more than one would normally be.
Putting the thought aside, Saeko asked the Elder, "Isn't there a leader in Gresit you could go to about this issue? The mayor? The judge? I not going to suggest the Bishop since he seems to have it out for you and your people."
The Elder shook his head in denial. "The mayor and the judge both died in the first attack," he said.
"…Well, so much for that option."
"Our searches have been unsuccessful," the Elder lamented. "What are your plans?" he asked Trevor.
"Find some food and drink. Get drunk, eat some food then move on," came the Belmont's blunt callous words.
Aegon and Saeko both looked at the man in surprise, anger and disbelief. They were both wondering why he would wave off expectations to help the Speakers.
Arn then asked, "Is that it?"
Trevor then answered Arn's question with, "Maybe I'll find a nice tree to sit in, watch the light show, all the good little people dying before moving on."
"I had thought you were a good man," Aegon said to Trevor through gritted teeth. "But you would forsake people who clearly need your help?" he accused indignantly.
"This is what the church wanted, kid," Trevor said, not looking at just Aegon, but the Speakers as well. "My family were perhaps the only people who could've fought Dracula and his armies, but the Church decided that they didn't want us anymore. They covered up the good deeds my family did with lies to the populace, their stories of their make-believe saints and angels, painting us sinngers who consort demons and witches," he spat out with distaste. "They want to fight evil on their terms? Well, then let them, see how far it gets them."
Aegon felt his fists tighten in righteous anger. Noticing this, Saeko laid a gentle hand on her lover's shoulder to sooth his fury.
"But the ordinary people of Wallachia," the Elder said. "They did not get a choice," he added solemnly.
"All that evil needs to win is for the ordinary people to stand aside and do nothing. There's always a choice," Trevor replied. "And in times like these? They'd be excommunicated or, at worst, be burned at the stake on the grounds of witchcraft & heresy by the Church for not agreeing to their vision of how things ought to be," he said coldly.
The Elder had a saddened look on his face when Trevor spoke the words and said, "Well, then I hope you can find a tall tree. You can watch us die too."
Trevor narrowed his eyes at this. "Don't be crazy. Leave now. Head south and hook up with a train of Speakers. You don't have to stay here to die with all the good people of Gresit."
Aegon looked at the man oddly now; he didn't appear to care about people, yet he was compassionate enough to not want to see the Speakers die? The thought was contradictory to the man's earlier words.
Arn then spoke up. "It's his grandchild!" he exclaimed.
Aegon, Saeko and Trevor all looked at the man. "What?" came the less than intelligent response.
"Arn!" the Elder admonished.
"I don't care!" the young Speaker retorted before looking at Belmont. "The Elder's grandchild is down in the catacombs. It's not our way to leave our dead unattended!"
"You may not have a chance to do that," Saeko said being reminded of what happened back home when They attacked. When They emerged to attack and feed on the living, there was barely anything left of the dead to attend to as they often became food for the ravenous undead hordes, or there was simply nothing left of them to tend to.
"We stay for the people of Gresit," the Elder restated his words.
"We do," Arn agreed before saying, "But we also stay because we hope…"
Trevor Belmont folded his arms over his chest, summarising the situation for everyone in the room. "So you stay here to die with good people of Gresit, not only because it's the good thing to do, but also because you don't have your grandchild's body. Is that right?" he asked.
"If you want to put it that way, yes," the Elder said reluctantly after a long moment.
Trevor meandered over to the fireplace, staring into the crackling flames, clearly in deep thought before he spoke.
"If I recover your grandkid's body, will you please leave?" he pleaded, not even looking at the Elder. "Wait outside this godforsaken city. Give aid to the people of Gresit once the Night Horde finally rips through this place.
Aegon then re-evaluated Trevor Belmont; it seemed that the man had something of a soft spot for families in need, having an opportunity to help some people, however small the act was. The young warrior then asked Trevor.
"Why would you do this?"
Trevor looked over at Aegon and replied, "Because the good people of Gresit are going to come for them." He waved his arm at the Speakers. "It's going to be fucking pogrom when it does happen," he stressed.
Aegon nodded at this, conceding that Trevor indeed had a point. People were already blaming the Speakers for what had befallen their city and with the Bishop riling the people up against those who wished to help them, then it was a matter of time before an angry mob would come after the Speakers with torches and pitchforks.
Arn then looked at Belmont sternly. "You didn't answer my question, Belmont."
Belmont then walked up to the young and said to him, "Because I know what it's like to be persecuted by others for the accident of your birth." Turning his head to look at the Elder, he asked him, "If I find your grandchild, will you leave the city before nightfall?"
"If that is the condition of your recovery, then yes."
Trevor smirked at this, cracking his knuckles to get to work. Walking over to the door, he casually took an apple from a Speaker who was about to take a bite of the fruit. "I'm leaving now," the Belmont said to everyone. He paused a moment to look at the Speakers. "Don't go walking about offering your aid to the people of Gresit. Stay right here!" he warned.
"Belmont!" the Elder called out to him. "It is not dying that frightens us. It is living knowing that we did not do anything to help those who needed it."
Opening the door, Trevor said one last sentence as he left the abode, "I don't care."
Aegon and Saeko sat there a moment before they looked at each other. With a silent agreement and a nod, the pair stood up and prepared to head out the door.
Arn noticed this and asked, "Where are you going?"
"We're going to help Trevor find your missing friend," Saeko replied.
"But he told us to stay here."
Saeko smiled at this. "He directed his words at you and yours, not us."
As they made for the door, they stopped when the Elder spoke to them. "Aegon, Saeko?" The two warriors turned to look at the old man. "Be careful out there," he said to them softly.
Saeko smiled in response. "Don't worry about us, Elder. Aegon and I can take care of ourselves. We've dealt with monsters before," she said with a calm collected confidence in her words. With that said, Saeko and Aegon then left the house to catch up to Trevor who was already heading for the Mausoleum; where the entrance the Gresit catacombs awaited them.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! Chapter 37 is done and dusted! I hope you all enjoyed this because my back is killing me after I wrote this. If this chapter seems familiar, I did borrow this from Jebest's Kingdom Hearts/GoT crossover which has a Castlevania Netflix world arc in it, so to you Jebest, I give you full credit for the idea and I'm hopeful I can put my own spin on this arc, so if anyone has suggestions, feel free to leave them in a review or PM them to me.
And that's about all I have, so I'll leave this here and catch you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.