A/N: Hello! Thank you so much for the favs, follows, and reviews! I love them all! Thank you so much!
Anyways, I hope you guys like the new cover art for the fic! It features the golden trio during The Dawn Years! And~ my profile avatar is of Rabbit Olivia! She is so cute! Please give them a look! I have idiotscopics and onisnow from tumblr to thank for drawing them! And if anyone wants to draw for this fic~ *wink* *wink* That would be cool too! Lol.
Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D
The full moon glowed high above Hyde Park, casting shadows upon the once lively area. The air was dead silent save for the occasional chirp of a cricket and the hoot of an owl.
And permeating through the air, was the stench of fresh blood.
Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the sounds of boots stomping against concrete.
A lone vampire charged through the trees, fleeing from an invisible enemy.
Moments later, a silver arrow shot out from the darkness and pierced its heart. The vampire let out a pitiful wail before timbering to the ground and crumbling to dust.
"Twelve down. A million more to go." Nine year old Olivia sighed from her perch in an oak tree, her legs swinging back and forth. "May this bring comfort to your souls, my dear family."
Five months had passed since her first mission, and Olivia was quickly learning that while Hellsing specialized in exterminating creatures of the night, attacks were far and few between. This meant Olivia went on a mission, at most, three times a month.
And a majority of the time, she had to split the missions with Walter.
Sometimes they would be co-operatives, but that was only for particularly difficult situations (ie. multiple vampires).
So when there weren't any attacks and she tired of studying and training, Olivia would wander aimlessly around the manor all by her lonesome.
She still had breakfast with Sir Hellsing, but now that she was deemed an official soldier, he saw no need to monitor her; this disheartened Olivia slightly since she enjoyed training under him and basking in his approval every time she did something right.
Olivia was becoming a better archer and was almost fluent in English, yet there was still something she was absolutely abysmal at, which was ironic considering she was an archer:
Upper body strength.
"Just one!" She grunted, her arms trembling as she attempted to lift herself up on the pull-up bar. "Just! One!"
But she made no progress and ended up whining and kicking her legs back and forth.
"Ow! Ow!" She lost her grip and plummeted towards the ground, her hands red and throbbing. "Agh! Again!"
Olivia climbed back onto the stool and tried once more, her skin on the verge of tearing before she finally completed a set of ten pull-ups.
"Someday," She panted, crawling over to her towel and wiping the sweat off her face. "I'm going to do fifty pull-ups easily, just like the other soldiers."
Even as an official soldier, Olivia still trained apart from the others since her regimen was different. Deep down, she was grateful since the thought of the older soldiers watching and gossiping about her behind her back unnerved Olivia.
'What if they look down on me because I'm a girl? I don't worry about my age considering how no one is baffled by Walter, but I know I shouldn't care what anyone thinks of me. They are not important.'
Wearing her sweat as a badge of honor, Olivia shut the light off in the weight room and made her way down the hallway.
It was 12:02 pm, almost time to meet Sir Hellsing for tea in his study.
Her gentle humming bounced off the walls as she skipped up the stairs, wondering if she should sneak in a quick bath before their meeting.
Arthur honestly wouldn't care if she came to him reeking of sweat since it would show she was working hard, but Olivia still wanted to make a good impression on her employer. Besides, she represented Hellsing, so she needed to be a put together soldier.
As Olivia approached Arthur's office, she noticed the door was cracked open and peeked inside to see him chatting with Sir Hugh Islands, leader of the Round Table and Arthur's friend from university.
Sir Islands was more organized and serious than Arthur, but Olivia found him to be rather handsome with his neatly styled blond hair and elegant way of speaking.
Their first meeting had been during New Year's when Arthur was hosting a party in the ballroom. Members of the Round Table, along with some of Arthur's lady friends, were in attendance. Olivia lurked outside the room, both afraid of and forbidden from entering the 'adult affair'. But she was curious as to what went on during these kinds of parties. All Olivia could see were people laughing and drinking champagne with flushed cheeks. She was trying to be as quiet as possible, but she couldn't help but let out a loud squeak when someone placed a hand on her shoulder.
'Eeyah!" Olivia swatted their hand away and plastered her back against the door, preparing for a fight, only to find Sir Hugh Islands standing there with a stern expression.
"Oh! Um," She stood at attention and saluted him. "I wasn't doing anything suspicious, sir! I was just about to go to sleep!"
"You must be Olivia Emese Song." Hugh ignored her obvious lie and held his hand out. "I am Sir Hugh Islands. Pleased to finally meet your acquaintance, young lady."
"Y-Yes, sir." Olivia clasped his larger hand between both of her smaller ones and shook it. "It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sir Hugh Islands."
"Hmm. You look younger than I expected." He bent down on one knee and sighed. "God knows why Arthur hired a little girl to work in this dismal place."
"Pardon my impertinence, Sir Islands, but I am not a mere little girl." Olivia crossed her arms and raised her chin up, gracing Hugh with an austere gaze. "I have both the approval of Sir Hellsing and Mr. Alucard to fight for this organization. If you have any doubts, then please allow me to quell them by demonstrating my skills. But I must ask you not to judge me based on my age alone."
Hugh cracked a smile at her plain way of speaking.
"Forgive me then, Ms. Olivia. I should know better than to doubt Arthur's judgement. He knows a good soldier when he sees one." He stood back up and held a hand out to her. "Anyways, I am glad to finally run into you. May I ask you to accompany me for a moment?"
"Yes, sir."
He took her hand and led her to the coat closet where he pulled a gift box out from his briefcase.
"Here. I realize Christmas has passed, but I hope you will like it anyways."
Olivia bit her tongue, on the verge of giving him another lecture, but settled for taking the gift, thanking him, and opening it.
Inside the box was a beautiful china doll with blonde ringlets nestled under a blue bonnet and a matching ball gown.
"Oh wow," Olivia traced the doll's rosy cheeks with an awestruck expression. "This is too much, Sir Islands. What have I done to warrant such a gift?"
"Well, soldier or not, every child should have something to play with. Is it to your liking, Ms. Olivia?"
She just nodded, holding the doll to her chest, realizing how long it had been since she felt her age. All of her dolls and toys had been lost when her family escaped from Hungary. More times than she would care to admit, Olivia had reached for her old stuffed animals in the middle of the night, only to touch air.
"I love her! Thank you very much, Sir Islands!" Olivia threw her arms around his legs, nearly sending him tumbling back into a pile of shoe boxes. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
Since then, he always greeted her politely but warmly, and Olivia took the upmost care of Emile, her doll, by brushing her hair and ensuring nothing soiled her appearance.
Smiling at the memory, Olivia stepped away from the door and continued down the hallway, leaving the two men to their business.
"Maybe I'll go ahead and gather the tea and biscuits from the kitchen. Saves Ms. Martha the trouble."
She hopped onto the grand stairway's banister and slid down it, giving a cheer when she stuck the landing.
"Blueberry or cherry biscuits, which shall I choose~?" Olivia sung as she skipped towards the manor's kitchen. "Decisions, decisions. Ooh! Maybe we can have both!"
She skirted to a stop when she passed over the threshold and found not Ms. Martha but Walter brewing a pot of Earl Grey.
"I should've known that infernal racket was you, Olivia." Walter 'greeted', not even glancing up from his work. "You say your father was an opera singer? What a shame you didn't inherit his talent."
"A pleasure to see you as well, Walter." Olivia stuck her tongue out at him.
"Your English is improving, I see. Now if you could only get rid of your accent, you'd be a proper British lady." He peered up this time, taking in her appearance. "Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. A proper English lady would be well bathed and have her own sense of style."
"Pants are easier to train in. And you aren't the only one who dresses like this, y'know." Olivia glared, walking over to stand next to him. "Besides, I'm not the one who needs a stool to see the counter."
And to add insult to injury, she patted him on the head and called him a "cute, little dung beetle".
"Oh shut up!" He yanked her down by the ear and tugged at her cheeks. "At least I can use the kitchen properly instead of waiting for someone to serve me!"
"Well I was never taught! Ow! Ow!" She pushed him off and inspected the plate of crumpets to Walter's right. "Eating some breakfast, Walter? It is already lunch time."
"Those are the leftovers from this morning." He replied, turning back to his teapot. "I cooked some extra, so I decided to keep them instead of tossing them out. Is that a crime?"
"No but I didn't know you cooked my breakfast."
"Of course I do."
"Well…" Olivia averted her eyes and twiddled her thumbs. "About breakfast this morning, it was….nevermind."
"What is it?" He stuck a dry tea leaf in her face like a dagger. "Speak up."
"The eggs….they were a little dry." Olivia giggled as she ducked away from Walter's wires and charged forward to lift him off the stool, spinning him around in circles.
"Hey, hey!" He pounded at her arms. "Release me this instant!"
"Will you fulfill a meal request for me first?"
"No!"
"Come on!" Olivia swung him from side to side. "During our last mission, you said if I could kill that vampire while doing a back flip, you would give me something. And! You chickened out on my tea party, so it's time to pay up!"
"But I said if you could complete the back flip! You landed in the bushes!"
"Ugh! Can't you just listen to my request?"
"…What is it?"
"Please make me some indianer*."
"Some what?"
"Um…..cream puffs! That's the word! Make me some cream puffs please!"
"No."
"Aish, can't you be nice to your big sister for once?!"
"Who says you are my big sister?! If anything, you are my wrinkly, old grandmother!"
"Hmph!" Olivia dumped him on the ground and eyed the crumpets. "Are you going to eat those?"
"Maybe" Walter snapped, pulling himself up off the ground and dusting his clothes off. "It depends on why you want to know."
Maintaining eye contact, she reached out and licked the back of each of the crumpets. "Enjoy yourself, Walter."
"I didn't say I definitely was going to eat them, you daft girl." Walter snickered, picking the plate up. "Those were for Sir Hellsing."
"Wait, what?!"
"Oh, look at the time. I should give these to him and tell him what you did." And he dashed around her and towards the kitchen entrance.
"WALTER, NO! STOP!"
Olivia chased him around the kitchen and tackled him to the ground before Ms. Martha suddenly rushed in and confiscated the plate entirely.
"Honestly," Martha sighed, taking a huge bite out of one of the crumpets. "All this fuss over—why are you two grinning like that?"
Walter and Olivia just shook their heads, sharing a knowing glance with huge smiles on their faces.
"Hmm. Well, Sir Hellsing will be occupied for the afternoon, so tea time will be put off for today, Ms. Olivia."
"I understand." Olivia bowed before grabbing Walter by the wrist. "Excuse us then, Ms. Martha."
Once they were out in the hallway, the two children collapsed against each other in giggles.
"She actually took a bite!"
"I know! Ms. Martha didn't even question why I was chasing you!" In her joy, Olivia picked him up and spun around again. "Ah, see! We can get along if we try!"
"Put me down!" Walter flailed around in her grip. "And how can you pick me up when you struggle to do a simple pull up?!"
"Hmm, are you saying you are heavy, Walter?"
"Oh shut up, Olivia."
She stopped and stared down at him with a gentle smile.
"What's with that creepy grin?"
"I'm just so happy you kept your promise to call me by my name." She kissed him on the cheek and twirled around joyfully. "You are such a cute yet maddening little brother, Walter!"
"You have three seconds to release me before I slice you to pieces!" Walter cried, scrubbing her 'germs' off his cheek. "And stop calling me your little brother!"
After fleeing from Walter, Olivia decided that if she wasn't going to see Sir Hellsing today, then she would go ahead and do some self-study in the library.
'What shall I read today? Maybe I'll look into some history books now. Or maybe I'll fetch my bow from my room and give Walter that match I promised him eons ago.'
As she made her way down the hallway, Olivia noticed something she hadn't before.
A large portrait of Queen Elizabeth I.
Olivia had trekked down this hallway countless of times and had memorized every single painting on the wall.
But it was like this portrait had appeared out of thin air.
Something beckoned her to it, and before she knew it, she was lifting the painting off the wall.
The weight was too much for her, and she fell to the side with a hard 'thunk'.
Luckily, the painting was unharmed but that wasn't what caught Olivia's attention.
A metal door was revealed behind where the painting once hung.
"A secret passageway?"
Looking both ways, Olivia cautiously crept up to the door and pulled it open, the hinges squeaking with every tug.
A dark stairway cascading downwards greeted her.
Fog seeped out from the darkness and Olivia clutched her pant legs with quivering hands.
'Could this lead to Mr. Alucard's room? Have I finally found it?'
Holding her breath, Olivia took a step down, waiting for something to leap from the darkness and drag her down. But when nothing came, she took another step.
And another.
And another.
The hallway light behind her grew dimmer as she went further down.
The cobblestone was like ice against her bare feet and when Olivia finally reached the end of the staircase, she found herself in a long hallway.
"M-Mr. Alucard?" Olivia called out, wringing her hair in her hands. "Are you home?"
She received no reply but pressed forward anyways, her curiosity outweighing her fear.
Suddenly, there was a gust of wind and all the torches on the walls were lit aflame. Running the rest of the way, Olivia found herself standing in a large stone room with a chair and a side table perched in the middle.
"Mr. Alucard?" Her voice echoed throughout the chamber. "Are you home?"
Again, no answer.
"Well I am coming in anyways. Please pardon the intrusion!" She tip toed over to the chair—which looked more like a throne upon closer inspection—and noticed a familiar floppy brim hat and coat thrown over the armrest.
"These are Mr. Alucard's things…"
Looking both ways, a cheeky grin spread across her face and Olivia slipped the coat on, the sleeves and coat tails dragging on the ground. Next, she plopped the hat on her head and laughed as it covered most of her face.
"This chair really is like a throne." Olivia chuckled, climbing onto the chair and sitting down. "Everything is so big, I feel like a Lilliputian."
Glancing to the left at the side table, she found Alucard's glasses along with two wine glasses and a bottle of wine.
Or at least she thought it was wine.
The glasses sat askew on her face and Olivia waved around one of the wine glasses like a scepter.
"I'm Mr. Alucard!" She bellowed in a deep voice. "I shoot vampires and live in the basement like the boogeyman!" Then she held the glass like a pistol and pretended to shot into the darkness. "Pew! Pew! Pe-!"
"What are you doing?"
"EEKS!" Olivia plastered herself against the back of the chair before slowly looking up into Alucard's impassive eyes.
He was leaning over the back of the chair with his arms resting across the top rail. His nose brushed against her forehead and his hair curtained half of his face.
"Why are you here?" He muttered, his maroon eyes flashing in the torch light.
"You…didn't answer." Olivia whispered, slowly removing the glasses from her face.
"I was sleeping." He replied matter of factly, holding a hand out expectantly. "Now return what is mine."
Olivia nodded and took off his hat and coat before holding them up to him. He continued to leer down at her and she nodded once again before placing the glasses and wine glass back on the side table.
"Get off."
She immediately hopped out of the chair, wondering if her theatrics had woken him up.
'I guess even vampires can be grumpy when rudely awakened.'
Alucard put his things back on and took a seat, one leg slung over the other and his hands clasped together on his lap.
"So, what brings the little rabbit down to my humble abode?" He smirked slightly. "You are rather brave to wander down here. Or, maybe, rather stupid."
"I was curious." Olivia mumbled, digging her toes into the cracks on the ground.
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"But I'm not a cat, I'm a rabbit."
His booming laughter sent her tumbling over, and he applauded like she had said the funniest joke in the world.
"That is true. Was curiosity all that brought you here?"
"Well, I was hoping to see you again. It's been ages since we met face to face."
"So this is a mere social call?" He raised his chin slightly. "I'm honored. It's not often I receive visitors."
'The way he sits…..arrogant his mannerisms….he really is like a king.'
"Every man is the king of something, whether it is a kingdom or a coffin."
"You read my mind. I forgot you can do that." Bouncing on her heels, Olivia scanned the dungeon. "So where is your bed? You said you were sleeping."
Alucard pointed to a large black coffin a foot away from the throne.
'How did I not trip over that?'
"Wow," Olivia walked over to it, noticing something encrypted on the lid. "What does that say, Mr. Alucard?"
"Why don't you find out for yourself?" He chuckled, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "All those books you read should give you a clue."
"You're mean."
"I'm not the one who intrudes into someone's room and steals their belongings."
"I didn't steal anything, Mr. Alucard! I was just having fun." Olivia huffed, sitting cross-legged on the ground. "It gets a little boring around here."
"Not everything you hoped it would be?"
"I guess I thought there would a mission every day, but I should be happy there aren't any vampires hurting people constantly."
"Oh there are plenty of monsters, the crafty ones just know how to say out of sight."
"Then we should be dragging them into the light. The good guys have to fight the monsters."
"What a very black and white view you have, little rabbit." Alucard tsked, wagging his finger.
"How is it black and white?" She narrowed her eyes. "Good people do good things, while those who commit vile deeds are monsters."
"But you say I'm good, yet I am a monster."
"I've told you before!" Olivia sprung to her feet with her arms out. "You are not like them, Mr. Alucard!"
"Then not everything is so black and white, is it, Little Rabbit?"
"Well, monsters kill and hurt others without reason. They hate others who are different." She clenched her fists with a furrowed brow. "Those are the worst kinds of monsters."
"You seem to be saying this from experience." Alucard noted, pouring himself a glass of 'wine'. "Do go on."
"You are being very sociable today, Mr. Alucard."
"Well, just like you, I am quite bored too. I only get to venture out when my master requires my presence." He calmly took a sip of his drink, while Olivia bit her lip, wondering if she should ask the question that had been burning in the back of her mind for months.
'This may be my only chance…'
"Why do you serve Sir Hellsing, Mr. Alucard? And why do you kill your own kind? Did someone hurt you and Sir Hellsing helped you? And why does Sir Hellsing keep you locked up inside? And why do you respect him so?"
"You are full of questions as usual." He hummed, placing his glass to the side. "That is not fair of you to make this conversation one sided."
"Well," Olivia scrambled her brain for a solution. "Then we will take turns! I ask something, and then you ask something. Deal?"
"Very well. Why did your family move here?"
"But I was asking fir-."
"And you also broke into my room without invitation. Now answer my question." He grinned, his fangs looking sharper in the dim light.
Olivia glared at him but nodded.
"Hungary is in shambles from the war, and my family believed a second one was on the horizon. There were monsters that hurt us, especially my father, for being different. Things began to escalate, so my parents decided to move for our protection."
"But why England? Where here of all places?"
"They were told if war broke out, we would be safe here. But," Olivia fiddled with her sleeves. "I think a war will start soon and no one will be safe. War is awful! I hate it!"
"Really? I find it rather thrilling actually." Alucard chuckled while taking another swing of his 'wine'.
"What an awful thing to say, Mr. Alucard!" Olivia gasped, covering her mouth. "Innocent people will die!"
"There are no true innocents, Little Rabbit." He snorted, swirling his glass and inspecting the wine inside. "How will you know which is which?"
"Like I said, only monsters can kill without reason!"
"There is no such thing as killing without reason, you idiot."
"How do you know that?!"
"Because even you, a little rabbit, have blood on your hands." He leaned forward and snatched up her left hand from her side. "You have killed creatures of the night, have you not?"
"But this is-!" She tried to tug her hand away, but his grip was firm. "I'm doing this to-!"
"To avenge your family, but that is a reason, correct?" He released her hand and lounged back in his throne. "So which is it, Little Rabbit? Are you a monster or not?"
Olivia was at a loss for words and crumbled to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself.
'I know humans are capable of horrible things and can be cowardly at times, but as long as they are brave and have good morals, they aren't monsters! And I slay vampires and ghouls because they are vile parasites! That is the right thing to do….right? I mean, it's not like I'm killing because I enjoy it! I'm doing this to avenge my family and pay my penance! That doesn't make me a monster! Right, Mr. Alucard?!' She held back a whimper and gazed up at him with pleading eyes. '…..Right?'
He never replied, just grinned and held a hand out to her in offering.
"Your turn."
But all of her questions seemed to fly out the window at this 'lesson' and she just spat out the first thing that popped to her head.
"Why don't you touch Sir Hellsing?"
Alucard retracted his hand and beheld her with a—surprisingly—appalled expression.
"What are you talking about?"
"I mean, you call him your master and I know there is probably some deep history behind that, but I've noticed you've never shaken his hand or touched his shoulder." She pulled her knees to her chest and mumbled against her knees. "It just seems odd, that's all."
"What servant lays their hands on their master?"
"You think awfully low of yourself, Mr. Alucard. Just because you work for Sir Hellsing doesn't mean you can't be an equal to him." Olivia began to rock back and forth as her thoughts flowed out like a river. "Like, Walter and I work for him too, but we have our moments where the general and soldier dynamics are forgotten. For example, I have tea and breakfast with him while Walter nags Sir Hellsing about being a slob. See, Walter actually nags him! So I don't see a reason why you shouldn't-!"
"Shut up." His tone was normal but the threat was apparent. "Sir Arthur Hellsing is my lord and master and I am his servant, his pawn, his dog. Whatever he orders, I shall execute it swiftly. I will not act unless my master wishes it."
"…That still doesn't make it right to keep you locked in here like a prisoner, waiting for rare moments of fresh air." Olivia scrunched her nose and kicked at the ground. "As much as I admire and am grateful towards Sir Hellsing, he is an utter bastard for keeping you-."
Within seconds, she was pinned to the ground with Alucard hovering over her, his eyes blood red and his gun pressed against her forehead.
"Watch your tongue." He hissed, his other hand digging into the cobblestone next to her head. "I will not allow you to speak ill of my master. Remember, Little Rabbit, this is a dungeon, home to Hellsing's monster. A monster that can easily tear a paltry thing like you to shreds. Do not forget that."
This look…she had never seen it before.
And for the first time, she felt a twinge of fear towards her 'guardian'.
"I'm sorry." She whispered, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I just don't want you locked away by yourself. You are my family, Mr. Alucard…."
His eyes widened slightly at Olivia's declaration and he inspected her for a moment before standing back up and placing his gun back in its holster.
"Dry your tears and leave." He went back to his throne and grabbed his wine glass. "That is enough questions for today."
Nodding, Olivia wiped her eyes and trudged back to the hallway. But, just as she reached the threshold, Olivia clenched her fist and whirled back towards him.
"I mean it!" She called out. "You are my family, and I care about you!"
Alucard didn't even look up, although he paused at that last part.
"And I have told you before that you know very little about me."
"But I still believe you are a good person deep down!"
'Even though you scare the daylights out of me.'
"Someday you will have to compromise your beliefs." Alucard replied, finally looking her in the eyes. "We are the monsters who kill the other monsters. That is how Sir Hellsing put it when he first inherited the family name. Tell me, can you retain your humanity? Can you hold strong to your beliefs and fight for it no matter what?"
"Yes. I will always fight for my humanity! Nothing will ever change that!" She clutched her chest, her veins on fire. "I will never become a monster, and I will prove it to you, Mr. Alucard!"
"Then I look forward to the coming future." He clapped his hands together with a pleased grin. "I hope you put on an entertaining show, Olivia Emese Song."
Hearing him finally say her name, it took her aback for a moment.
Then, a grin spread across her face.
"Enjoy the show then, Mr. Alucard." And just before she scurried off, she had one final thing to say. "Oh, and if you ever shove a gun into my face again, I will not hesitate to shoot you in the neck like before."
Alucard's laughter followed her all the way up the stairway.
A/N: I don't remember if that was the portrait covering Alucard's dungeon but let's just pretend! Lol! So, Olivia got a glimpse into the other side of Alucard and she is learning about what becoming a Hellsing soldier really means. And~ she is learning her thought process is flawed. Olivia is a little kid, so she still has a childish way of thinking. But she is growing! And, like I said before, her opinions of her family will change as she grows. For better or for worse. And her opinion of herself will change too!
Anyways, just some fun stuff: If Olivia was a 90s kid, she would be a huge Backstreet Boys and Brittany Spears fan and would probably drag Walter and (maybe Alucard if Integra ordered him) to the concerts. Lol. And my sister thinks Ezra Miller would be a cute teen/young adult Walter. What do you guys think?! Haha!
Please leave a review!
I hope you enjoyed this chapter~! :D