[It is a relief when the documents are signed. The world returns to normal after the last of them bows to Alucard and climbs into the carriages that will whisk them all out of Wallachia. He treats the priest no differently than the rest of them. That's on purpose.
Theodora pats Alucard gently on the shoulder and says they'll talk tomorrow. He smiles with a quiet, exhausted gratitude for that mercy, and then?
Then he lets the castle shift around them, so that they're not in the kitchen yet, but the moon's courtyard.
A garden Dracula built for himself and Lisa to walk together in the evenings. Plants of pale white that sparkle in the moonlight. Kept according to their will and no others, no gardener allowed in. A fountain to provide ambiance.
It's still well kept. The castle has dropped them in the little grassy knoll that's there for just these occasions, one of the furs from Alucard's room already there. Without a word, Alucard guides them both down, and he lies flat on his back. All the more room for Trevor to decide how to settle in.]
They don't come here often. The castle is- choosy about letting people here, even Alucard. It's kept Dracula himself out of here before, when he was in a mood to break things and might have done damage to Lisa's gardens.
It's- an honour. It's a big deal that the castle cares enough about him to allow them here, because Alucard's words alone couldn't have convinced it. But more than that, it's peaceful. The same sort of peaceful that her presence brought with it, the kind that allows him to be calm and not think too much.
He follows Alucard, letting himself be guided down onto the fur. He lies on his side against him, one arm slung over his chest. ]
[Alucard usually doesn't seek the place out. It makes the longing and worry worse. But Trevor is much more important in this moment.
With Trevor on his side, Alucard inches over, and it's enough to fold one end of the blanket over them both. They can be snug like this, and warm. It's good. Fluffy. Safe.]
[If all other parts of the castle were to burn, Alucard is sure that this is the one place it would try and preserve.]
Tomorrow night, there's going to be a new spell in place at the border that will prevent his voice from being heard on our side of it. That way no one ever hears him in this country.
[ He nods. What happens next takes him a few minutes, as if the words are barbed and forcing them out is painful. ]
You know what I told him at confession, before they took him away? I told him I was scared of shaving, so I wanted to be like my sisters and never grow a beard.
[ A laugh tumbles out from behind his lips at that, and he's not sure where it came from. ]
He'd been there all my life. All my sister's lives, too. He was the one who baptised us. They put a bag over his head to hide his face when they took him away for witchcraft - found forbidden books in the church. My father was demanding that they free him the whole time.
[ There's a distant sort of look in his eyes, the one he gets when he's vanishing into himself a little. He wasn't expecting this to be so easy to say. ]
I don't know what they did to him, but he named our family to make them stop. Acted as witness at the trials.
[ He wants to say more, but he can't really bring himself to. That's all that he needed to say. All Alucard needed to know. He just pulls himself closer to him, holding him close. ]
I'll be right, give me a couple days. We know what playing dirty looks like, now. We can be ready for it.
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Theodora pats Alucard gently on the shoulder and says they'll talk tomorrow. He smiles with a quiet, exhausted gratitude for that mercy, and then?
Then he lets the castle shift around them, so that they're not in the kitchen yet, but the moon's courtyard.
A garden Dracula built for himself and Lisa to walk together in the evenings. Plants of pale white that sparkle in the moonlight. Kept according to their will and no others, no gardener allowed in. A fountain to provide ambiance.
It's still well kept. The castle has dropped them in the little grassy knoll that's there for just these occasions, one of the furs from Alucard's room already there. Without a word, Alucard guides them both down, and he lies flat on his back. All the more room for Trevor to decide how to settle in.]
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[ Oh.
They don't come here often. The castle is- choosy about letting people here, even Alucard. It's kept Dracula himself out of here before, when he was in a mood to break things and might have done damage to Lisa's gardens.
It's- an honour. It's a big deal that the castle cares enough about him to allow them here, because Alucard's words alone couldn't have convinced it. But more than that, it's peaceful. The same sort of peaceful that her presence brought with it, the kind that allows him to be calm and not think too much.
He follows Alucard, letting himself be guided down onto the fur. He lies on his side against him, one arm slung over his chest. ]
Thank you.
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[Alucard usually doesn't seek the place out. It makes the longing and worry worse. But Trevor is much more important in this moment.
With Trevor on his side, Alucard inches over, and it's enough to fold one end of the blanket over them both. They can be snug like this, and warm. It's good. Fluffy. Safe.]
Whatever you need tonight.
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[ It's easier, here. They can't be found here. They can't take Alucard away from him. ]
-he's gone. It's- I'm fine. Just need you. Need to know you're safe.
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[If all other parts of the castle were to burn, Alucard is sure that this is the one place it would try and preserve.]
Tomorrow night, there's going to be a new spell in place at the border that will prevent his voice from being heard on our side of it. That way no one ever hears him in this country.
no subject
You know what I told him at confession, before they took him away? I told him I was scared of shaving, so I wanted to be like my sisters and never grow a beard.
[ A laugh tumbles out from behind his lips at that, and he's not sure where it came from. ]
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[Alucard mostly looks confused at the idea.]
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[ He sighs. ]
He'd been there all my life. All my sister's lives, too. He was the one who baptised us. They put a bag over his head to hide his face when they took him away for witchcraft - found forbidden books in the church. My father was demanding that they free him the whole time.
[ There's a distant sort of look in his eyes, the one he gets when he's vanishing into himself a little. He wasn't expecting this to be so easy to say. ]
I don't know what they did to him, but he named our family to make them stop. Acted as witness at the trials.
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It was probably his head or yours. He was awful enough to value his life over that of his parish.
[He kisses Trevor's forehead.]
You were right not to tell me. I would have done something counterproductive.
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[ He wants to say more, but he can't really bring himself to. That's all that he needed to say. All Alucard needed to know. He just pulls himself closer to him, holding him close. ]
I'll be right, give me a couple days. We know what playing dirty looks like, now. We can be ready for it.
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[A couple more days. Alucard hums softly to show he has heard and understood. They can't get closer to each other now.]
We can. And we will arrange it so you can have easier exits if they're needed.