A/N: Thank you all so much for the favs, follows, and reviews! I love you all so much!
And, thanks to FayValentine123, I am now envisioning Olivia dancing to "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins while shooting vampires. Lol!
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
The daily air sirens booming across the London sky was something Olivia loathed to grow accustomed to.
Since Germany invaded Poland and war had officially been declared, the siren had become part of her morning like the chirping of robins outside her window.
Nothing was stable anymore.
Not in their country and not in the manor.
Especially after the mission in Christow.
They had arrived home in the early afternoon and Sir Hellsing had given her and Walter a commander's welcome, although even a toddler could see he was thrilled they had returned home safely.
But when the fate of Baskerville was brought up, this anomalous expression flashed across Arthur's face and he ordered Alucard to follow him while Martha asked the children if they were hungry and herded them towards the kitchen.
Only Olivia seemed troubled by this display, and her desire to uncover Alucard's past increased tenfold.
Turning on her side, she peeked over at the grandfather clock and noted she still had an hour until breakfast.
So she reached out and grabbed her sketchbook off the nightstand Sir Islands had bought for her. Whenever he came to visit, he always brought something for Walter and her, claiming they couldn't grow up properly without some kind of normalcy; Arthur took offense to that jab.
But Olivia was grateful for every gift and promised to put all of them to good use. She now had a dresser, a bookshelf, and a vanity occupying her room. Martha had given her some make-up but Olivia had yet to master the art of cosmetics, so the colorful tubes lay abandoned on the vanity for another day.
The one time she did attempt to put make-up on, Walter had called her a clown and they ended up brawling in the training room until Arthur pulled them apart.
But, now that she was almost thirteen, it was decided that Olivia would have etiquette classes to ensure she would grow into a 'proper young lady'; Arthur apologized profusely when Olivia stormed into his office after finding a governess in her room instead of her gun.
"It wasn't my idea, Olivia!" He cried out, using his chair to keep her at bay. "Our financial suppliers would've been on my ass if I didn't agree! They are already harassing me for employing you and Walter! So, please, bear with it for a while!"
It was only her loyalty for Sir Hellsing that kept Olivia from boiling over.
Snorting at the ridiculousness of it all, she flipped through the pages, every single one covered in her scribbles.
'Just because I am getting older doesn't mean I have to relinquish my bow for an embroidery needle; I can do both without sacrificing the other.'
And it wasn't like she hated her etiquette classes—she actually found them to be rather fun—but Olivia hated how it was expected of her to give up fighting once she was old enough.
No, she had a debt to pay before anything else.
Finally Olivia reached the page she was looking for, the contents not an illustration but a list of all of Alucard's known abilities and the possibilities of how he received them, thus leading to how he became a vampire to begin with.
'No one is born a vampire. They have to be bitten or drink the Devil's blood to do so.' Olivia tapped her pen against her cheek before scribbling her thoughts down. 'So which one was it, Alucard? Did another vampire bite you or did you willingly drink the Devil's blood for whatever reason?'
Another question bugging Olivia was about what Alucard had said during the battle with Baskerville.
"You said 'we have something in common' when its familiars came out. Does that mean you've consumed countless other beings?" She tightened her grip on her pen, recalling Baskerville's grisly demise. "Is that why Sir Hellsing keeps you on a short leash? Is he afraid of what you might do?"
Her mind instantly wandered to the sigils on Alucard's gloves and how they glowed every time he unleashed his power.
'But Alucard is fiercely loyal to Sir Hellsing, even going as far as to threaten his own comrades if they say a cross word about his master, so Sir Hellsing shouldn't worry about Alucard betraying him.' She pinched the bridge of her nose. 'Agh! It is all so confusing!'
Olivia knew better than to ask anyone for help since she would only receive a lecture about being nosy.
But how could she crack this case if no one threw a bone at her?
Growing frustrated, she tore the page out of the book, crumpled it up, and launched it towards the closed window.
"So stupid." Olivia grumbled, gnawing on the pen's cap "Why should I care so much? No one else seems to so why should I?"
But everyone obviously knew something she didn't, and Olivia hated being kept in the dark, especially when Alucard would taunt her about her lack of progress.
"Ready to forfeit this game, Little Rabbit?" he would chuckle while tugging at her hair, enjoying watching her scramble like a mouse underneath a boot.
"You jerk, you vexing, colossal jerk!" She scribbled furiously on a blank page, the rough lines soon connecting to form a crudely sketched Alucard..
As part of her etiquette lessons, Olivia was learning the fine arts, and while she was praised for her botany illustrations, her human portraits left much to be desired.
But still, she tried her best, giving Alucard a razor sharp chin to match his razor sharp teeth.
"May this never see the light of day." She flipped the page to a fresh one with a smile. "Women are easier to draw anyways, so let's try drawing Anya."
With more care than she did with Alucard's, Olivia started to sketch out a heart shaped face before stopping suddenly.
'…What…does my mother look like again?' Panic started to rise in her chest as she scavenged her brain. 'She has a heart shaped face right? Right?! Or…was it an oval shaped one?! And did she have blonde hair or red hair?!'
She tore out that page and started on another one, her palms sweating.
"Let's start with Apa first! I'll remember Anya as I do his!" Her voice cracked slightly as her pen scrapped against the paper. "I have to!"
'A circular face with a mole on his left cheek. Yes, and his hair stood up in the front like horns….No, that is Sir Hellsing.' The pen snapped in her hand. "And did he wear glasses or not?! Did he have brown or yellow eyes?!" The pen's ink spilled across the portrait. "Wh-What did he and Anya sound like again?! And what of Akos and Mark?! One of them had curly hair! It was Akos, right?! No, it was Mark! No! It…It…!"
The sketchbook slammed against the wall and Olivia buried herself underneath her blankets, clutching her head as tears stung her eyes.
'No! NO! I have to remember them! I couldn't have forgotten! I couldn't have forgotten how they look!' She dug her nails into her skull. 'REMEMBER! REMEMBER, DAMN IT! YOU ARE THEIR LIVING LEGACY SO REMEMBER!'
Then, just as she was close to drawing blood, a faint memory of the past took shape in her mind.
Her father's heart shaped face; her mother's green eyes; Akos' hair that curled at the bottom, and Mark's raven black hair.
These were characteristics Olivia had inherited or shared with them.
Curling into a ball, she wept in joy.
She had remembered something.
Her family's memory wasn't completely erased because they lived on through her.
It wasn't much, but for now, it was enough.
After getting dressed in her now trademark white dress, Olivia marched down the hallway, bow in hand and repeating 'Heart shaped face, Green Eyes, Curly Hair, and Black Hair' to herself.
Now she had two missions, uncovering Alucard's past and keeping her own alive.
'I will not fail. Not when the entire reason I am here is because of them.'
As Olivia turned the corner, she spotted someone inspecting a photo of Arthur perched on one of the telephone tables.
He appeared to be in his mid to late teens with light brown hair and a black suit. Something about him seemed familiar, but Olivia couldn't put her finger on it.
She was about to call out to him in greeting when the stranger snubbed his cigarette against the picture and proceeded to walk away.
As a result, the stranger let out a scream when an arrow pinned his sleeve to the mahogany table and he whirled around to spot Olivia glaring at him, already stringing up another arrow.
"It is rude to extinguish your cigarettes on another's property. As a guest in this house, you will abide by a code of conduct. Or," She aimed the arrow at his neck, "you will be promptly escorted from this manor."
"What the hell?!" The man pulled on the arrow until it finally gave way. "How dare you shoot at me! I am one of the masters of this house!"
"No you are not." Olivia fired back, not budging an inch as the man stomped towards her. "Sir Arthur Hellsing is the lord and master of this house. Do not even dare to impersonate him when you have so little respect for his personal property."
"You little-!" The man grabbed her by the front of her dress and hoisted her off the ground and in his face. "Who the hell do you think you are?!"
Olivia wrinkled her nose at the horrible scent invading her nostrils and raised her chin in challenge.
"I am Olivia Emese Song, a soldier of Hellsing and one of Sir Hellsing's bodyguards. And you are?"
"You are Olivia?!" The man snorted, ignoring her question entirely. "This is the "White Rabbit of Hellsing"?! Pft, you are nothing but some paltry half bred-!"
The man rocketed to the ground as Olivia slammed her forehead against his nose.
"Leave my heritage out of this!" Olivia growled, watching the blood gush from his nose. "I am a soldier, first and foremost, and I will not stand to be belittled, especially by an outsider."
"You little bitch!" The man shot to his feet and raised his hand to slap her when his arm was suddenly jerked back by a pair of wires.
"That'll be enough of that." Walter spoke up, hopping off the railing and waltzing over to them. "You of all people should know not to raise a hand to a lady, Mr. Hellsing."
'Mr. Hellsing?'
"Walter! Release me!" Mr. Hellsing cried out as his arm was bent further back and the ominous grin on Walter's face grew.
"Olivia," Walter hummed, yanking his captive down to his knees. "This is Sir Hellsing's younger brother, Richard Hellsing. He was supposed to meet our master in the dining hall for breakfast but I fear he must've lost his way."
"AH! DAMN IT, WALTER!" Richard screamed as the wires tightened and Walter jammed his heel against his back.
"I see." Olivia curtsied. "I didn't realize you were Sir Hellsing's brother. Forgive me for not recognizing you earlier. I do hope you enjoy your stay in the manor."
She still thought Richard was an asshole, but if he was related to Sir Hellsing, she would be civil towards him.
Of course, Richard saw through her act easily.
"Don't try to sweeten me up with false words! I won't allow a half bred sow like you to—AH!"
"Come off of it, Mr. Hellsing." Walter smirked, a dangerous glint in his eyes that Olivia immediately recognized. "If you insult her again, I will keep your arm as a souvenir."
"You-!"
"Walter? Olivia?" Arthur called out from down the hallway and Walter promptly retracted his wires. "What are you two—Richard? Why are you on the floor?"
"Arthur!" Richard scrambled to his feet and pointed a finger in the children's direction. "Are these what you consider soldiers?! These brats threatened me!"
"Don't know what you are talking about." Walter whistled, while Olivia swept a lock of hair behind her ear and responded with "You must be mistaken, Mr. Hellsing. We were only showing you to the way to the dining hall."
Then they both flashed their most angelic smiles while Arthur sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"Let's go, Richard. Walter has prepared a wonderful breakfast for us."
"But-!"
"Now!"
Arthur dragged a still pissed off Richard away and Walter followed suit, but not before receiving a kiss on the forehead from Olivia.
"Thank you for defending me, Walter. You are a true gentleman."
He swatted her away and stuck his tongue out at her, a light blush on his cheeks.
"Just try not to pick any more fights with Sir Hellsing's family."
Olivia laughed as he raced to catch up with their master and his pig of a brother before continuing on her way.
"Now I'm late for my lessons." She huffed, hurrying down the stairs. "I'll have to do some extra training tonight to burn off this excess steam!"
It was around 10 pm when Olivia found herself back in her room, refreshed from her bath and ready to sleep before the sirens awoke her in the morning.
'No luck with Alucard's past,' Olivia sat down in front of her vanity and proceeded to brush her hair. 'I wouldn't be surprised if all the information is hidden in some vault ten feet under the manor.'
The mental image of Sir Hellsing digging through the dirt like a mole caused her to snort in a very unladylike manner.
"I shouldn't fret over it so much. I'm sure the truth will be revealed in time."
Once her hair was smooth and tangled free, Olivia was about to blow out her candlestick when she noticed a wad of paper near her bare feet.
"From this morning?" She bent down and opened it, smoothing out the wrinkles on the vanity top.
It was the list she made for Alucard, and while she remembered throwing it away, she knew it had been launched towards the window.
Which was nowhere near the vanity.
A shiver ran up her spine and she was about to shove the page into the vanity drawer when something caught her eye.
The sketch paper was rather thin and the pen marks bleed through, showing the contents on the other side.
And on the top of the page, Olivia had written ALUCARD in bold letters.
"A-L-U-C-A-R-D." She read each letter out loud before holding the paper up to the mirror, her blood running cold as she read what was reflected. "D-R-A-C-U-L-A."
It felt like a cup of ice water had been tossed in her face and she pushed herself away from the vanity and raced out the door.
'I'm such an idiot! It was staring me in the face the entire time!'
The library door was thrown open as Olivia raced inside, flicking on a desk lamp and climbing onto the rolling ladder.
"So stupid! All I had to do was flip his name!" She scanned the shelves until she reached the 'S' section and threw book after book over her shoulder. "Where is it? I know I saw it here before!"
Finally she found the leather bound book and traced the lettering on the cover: Dracula by Bram Stoker.
"I thought this was here as a joke." She scoffed, sliding down the ladder and hurrying towards the lit desk. "Since we hunt vampires, I thought Sir Hellsing placed it here as a prank!"
Olivia knew of Count Dracula but had always considered him to be a Hollywood character than an actual being.
Gulping, Olivia prayed Alucard's name backwards was just a coincidence and she was overthinking it.
But she knew, especially in the world she lived in, nothing in life was truly a coincidence.
So, Olivia sat herself down and opened the book to the first chapter.
Olivia read of Johnathan Harker and his narrow escape from the Count's castle; of 19-year old Lucy who was Dracula's first victim; of the courageous John Seward, Quincey Morris and Arthur Holmwood who helped hunt down Count Dracula; of Mina who was cursed by Dracula's bite and his blood; and of Abraham Van Helsing, the famed vampire hunter who led the hunt against Dracula.
'Abraham Van Helsing.' Olivia's mind drifted to the portrait hanging in the hallway. 'Are you the same man from this book?'
Thought it may be true, there were several things that didn't add up.
Why was Abraham's last name different? Where did the Hellsing organization factor into the happy ending? And, most importantly, if Alucard was the same Count Dracula from the novel, why was he here in the manor?
Why was he serving the descendent of the man who hunted him down?
And….could Alucard really be capable of the horrific acts Count Dracula performed?
It was a book so there had to be some exaggeration, but so many things added up that Olivia wasn't sure what was real and what was fiction.
Then, Olivia thought about the inscription on Alucard's coffin and although she couldn't read it, she recognized the language it was in.
It was in Romanian.
And Count Dracula was from Transylvania which is in the central part of Romania.
Now she was more confused than ever.
But, one thing she had learned in her time as a solider is to research more than one source before taking action.
The clock resting on the desk read 1:35 am, but Olivia couldn't think about sleep now and hurried back to the rolling ladder.
She grabbed all the reference books she could find about Romania and lugged them back to the desk.
Every book was thoroughly read from cover to cover in hopes of finding something mentioning a 'Dracula' or at least something remotely relating to vampire activity. Even a line mentioning the Hellsing—or rather the Helsing—family would've been sufficient.
Yet, an hour into her research, Olivia couldn't find anything relating to her mission and her heart deflated slightly.
'I'm beginning to think I let my imagination run wild.' She groaned, burying her face in her hands. 'I've wasted precious hours of sleep on a wild goose chase because Alucard's name spelt something else backwards. Well God spelt backwards is Dog but you don't see people building churches to worship them do you?!'
Slamming the book shut, Oliva reached out to turn off the lamp when she noticed there was one more book she had yet to read.
'Oh what the hell. I'm already knee deep in this.'
She opened the book and flipped through the pages, soon noticing it was a book about Romanian royalty.
Some of the names ringed bells since Hungary was a neighboring country to Romania and they were either friends or enemies depending on the time period. Olivia vaguely recalled reading about the Hungarian-Romanian relationship in her public school days, but she couldn't remember anything significant at the moment.
After a while of mindless flipping, Olivia finally came across something of interest.
It was a page about "The Order of the Dragons", a monarchical chivalric order for nobility that was founded by Sigismund, who was King of Hungary at the time. It was fashioned after the Crusades and demanded that its members fight the enemies of Christianity, like the Ottoman Empire, and defend the Cross with their lives.
'What a horrible band of filthy murderers.' Olivia scoffed to herself. 'Killing people for the sake of your religion? What utter bullshit!'
Underneath the description was a list of some of the more notable members and Olivia lazily scanned the list until a certain name jumped out at her, her breath catching in her throat.
Vlad Dracul III, Prince of Wallachia (page 1428).
"Dracul…." Olivia gasped, quickly flipping to the page listed and reading the description.
"The second son of Vlad Dracul II….held hostage by the Ottoman Empire to secure father's loyalty….later slaughtered the Ottomans during crusades issued by the Pope….and….remembered as the barbaric demon, Vlad the Impaler."
Olivia's finger hovered above the next paragraph divulging into Vlad's countless acts of cruelty, not sure if she really wanted to know.
'Alucard may enjoy fighting but he is by no means cruel.'
But the memory of Baskerville's demise flashed through her mind, so with a heavy heart, she took a deep breath and counted to read aloud.
"In Turkey and Western Europe, Vlad Dracul III is regarded as a monstrous and vile leader who took gratuitous pleasure in the painful execution of his enemies….he even murdered his own subjects by impaling them on spikes and dining amongst their still twitching bodies."
Olivia had to close her eyes at the horrific mental image, her mind placing Alucard in the Impaler's place. What was worse was that such an act wasn't out of the realm of possibility for Alucard, and that frightened Olivia more than anything.
'There is good in him, there is good in him.' She chanted while turning to the next page in the hopes of reading something positive about Vlad Dracul and only found a rough sketch of him from the 15th century.
He had a mustache, curly hair, and was dressed in a medieval monarch uniform. The illustration was worn by age and it was difficult to make out the facial features. Yet, if one removed the moustache and straighten his hair, he did resemble Alucard quite a bit.
"NO!" Olivia leapt away from the desk and covered her eyes. "My mind is just playing tricks on me! None of this is related and has nothing to do with Alucard!"
The words tasted like sand against her tongue and she peeked through her fingers at the books.
"What…is the truth?" She whispered, a war raging in her mind. "Which is it, Alucard? What is fact and what is fiction?"
Finally, Olivia couldn't take it anymore and dashed out of the library.
She lifted the massive painting off the wall and hurried down the staircase, hoping over a few steps here and there. She nearly tripped when she reached the stone hallway, but Olivia didn't stop until she spotted Alucard's throne, where the man plaguing her thoughts sat with his hands clasped together on his lap.
Like he was waiting for her arrival.
He stared at Olivia as she stopped in front of him, panting heavily and looking like she had seen a ghost.
"…To what do I owe the pleasure?" He smirked slightly. "You ran in here like something was chasing you, Little Rabb-."
"Which is it?" She demanded, clutching her hands to her chest. "Was the novel by Stoker true and you are the Count he wrote about? Or were you a prince that Stoker based his novel on—a prince that dined with the impaled corpses of his victims?"
The smirk fell from his face and the room's temperature became like ice.
"Which is it, Alucard?!" Olivia questioned again, her knees buckling slightly. "Were you only a vampire king who drank the blood of innocents or were you a savage king who built his kingdom on the bodies of his own people? Or," She bit her lip as her heart pounded against her chest, "are you both?"
It was silent as Olivia awaited his answer and Alucard continued to stare at her behind his glasses.
When he finally replied, it was in a low voice that she had to strain to hear properly.
"….Which answer do you want to hear? Will the answer I pick change how you feel about me?"
"I just want the truth, Alucard! I want to know who you were and how you came to be the Hellsing family servant! And I want to hear it from your mouth, not a book's!"
"Is that honestly what you want? What if you don't like what I will tell you?"
"I want to hear it anyways. I'm tired of this wild goose chase; just tell me the truth, Alucard." Olivia was so caught up in demanding answers that she didn't notice the black coffin stand up and slowly inch towards her.
"Do you think you can handle it?"
"That'll be for me to decide, not you."
"Is this honestly what you want?" Alucard asked again, wanting to see if this was her heart's desire. "Because if not, you are free to leave-."
"I am not leaving here until I hear the truth, Alucard! So tell me!" Her declaration resonated through the dungeon, sealing the unseen contract she had made with him.
"Very well. This isn't something I can simply tell you," He slid his glasses down his nose, his crimson eyes glowing. "This is something you have to see for yourself."
"Wha-?!"
Suddenly, the coffin's lid flew open and a barrage of hands lunged out of the darkness and latched onto Olivia.
"WHAT?! ALUCARD!" She struggled against them as they dragged her inside the coffin. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Giving you the answers you so desire."
"ALU-Mmph!" A hand slammed over her mouth and she frantically reached out towards him. 'HELP ME! HELP ME!'
But Alucard just placed his glasses back on and folded his hands together.
"The more you struggle, the harder it will be." He suddenly vanished before appearing in front of her. Then, reaching out, Alucard didn't grab Olivia's hand but gently cupped her cheek instead, wiping her tears away with his thumb. "You asked me for the truth, so I am giving it to you. But, the question is," He bent down and whispered in her ear, "what will you do when you receive it?"
Olivia let out a muffled scream as the hands dragged her completely into the darkness and the lid slammed shut on the coffin, the dungeon now dead silent.
With a thoughtful expression, Alucard placed his palm on the coffin lid, the inscription glowing beneath his touch.
"What will you do,….Olivia Emese Song?"
A/N: *COMING UNDONE BY KORN PLAYS AS THE CREDITS ROLL*
THAT'S IT! FIC'S OVER! EVERYONE CAN GO HOME!
Just kidding! Lol! But, damn, Alucard! Stop traumatizing children! What awaits Olivia in Alucard's coffin and what will she see? It will be revealed in the next chapter!
And I would just like to thank Google for supplying me with all the facts on the novel and Vlad Dracul III. Oh and I googled how long it would take to read Dracula and it said 3 hrs and 20 minutes so Olivia reading it that quickly is possible!
And, as for Richard, I know he looks about late forties or early fifties when he is killed, so I made him a little older than Olivia to make it kinda happen. Lol.
And Olivia has been without her family for around roughly 4.3 years so I think it would be likely she might forget what they look like, especially since she doesn't have any pictures to remember them by!
Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter! Please leave a review and see you in the next chapter! :D