AMoS Chapter 4-4

[eiahmon]

Title: A Moment of Stupidity Part 4: 1476 - 1535
Rating: R for language, and mentions of RAPE and M/M SLASH. Don't like, then don't read.
Disclaimer: Castlevania and its characters and situations are the sole property of Konami. I am making no money or profit off of this fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: AU. What if Joachim Armster had lived through his fight with Leon Belmont? What might have been different? Well hang on, because Joachim is going to tell you all about it. From his kidnapping and forced turning to his rescue from the ruins of Walter's castle, and from Trevor's birth and to Richter's death of old age, he tells all - and blames it all on Leon while he's at it.
Section Summary: Part 4 covers Dracula's Curse to Trevor's death.

4.
The Quiet Life

It took four days to reach the Belmont lands, as I wanted to take it slow and easy for Trevor's sake. We stopped at various inns and way stations in the paths between the territory borders during the daylight hours, so he could rest in actual beds and eat something solid. Even though he was healing well, he still tired so quickly and spent much of his time sleeping. I flew at night, to lessen the chances of being seen by someone on the ground, which Trevor hated, but the it was the quickest way to get him home.

We arrived back at the Belmont lands early in the morning, just as the sky was turning that dark predawn blue, and we found Sypha waiting on us. With her help, I quickly had Trevor bathed, dressed, and tucked back into bed. He reached up to her and gently placed his hand against her face, and I smiled faintly and stepped out to give them some privacy.

I waited in the family room, and a few minutes later, Sypha joined me.

"I was all set to yell at him for being so reckless," she admitted as she sat down in a nearby chair, "but after seeing him like this, I couldn't do it."

"Don't be too hard on him. From the sounds of it, he was taken completely by surprise. Is he asleep?"

"He is. Jacob will be happy to see him though. It will be difficult to prevent him from jumping on him in his excitement."

"I'm sure Trevor would appreciate it if Jacob didn't."

She laughed lightly. "I'm sure."

"How have things been since I left?"

"Things have been fine. People accepted quickly that Trevor went off to investigate the source of the problems we've been having, and speaking of that, I noticed that the curse seems to have been lifted?"

I nodded. "It has. Dracula resurrected, but his former general took him down after Trevor was injured."

"He resurrected so soon?"

"It appears he had a boost from his followers to hasten things, but yes."

"That is all we need; Dracula's followers reviving him."

"Hopefully since the one possessed by the curse was killed, it won't happen again any time soon."

"Let us hope not."

"And now there is something I would like to ask you, Sypha, if you don't mind?"

She looked at me for a second. "Go on."

"Are you and Trevor bonded by any chance?" In response, she simply smiled and nodded, and I smiled back at her. "I thought so."

"I suppose it was easy to notice it, seeing as I sensed Trevor's distress when he was injured."

"That and he smiled and whispered your name less than an hour after I asked Kerwin to tell you that he was alive." I gave her a serious look. "You know what this means though, if one of you were to pass away?"

"We knew of the risks, but decided to bond anyway. It will be all right, Joachim; you don't need to worry about that."

******

Jacob woke later in the morning, and the bouncing ball of energy quickly figured out that Pa-pa was home. Thankfully, Sypha was there to stop him from pouncing on Trevor, but even she wasn't able to prevent him from scrambling up onto the bed and nestling against his side.

Trevor smiled at his son and wrapped his arm around him. "And what have you been up to, little man?"

Jacob grinned widely at him, showing his tiny fangs. "Pa-pa!"

Trevor chuckled quietly and gently tousled the boy's hair with his hand. I smiled at the sight; it relieved me more that I can possibly express to see him sitting up in bed, spending time with Jacob. I really had expected to walk into that ruined castle and find my godson dead on the floor.

******

I stayed at the Belmont Estate for the next few weeks and Trevor finished healing. He spent the first week in bed, working on a improvised lap desk when Sypha and the family's doctors let him. Other than that he either slept, read quietly, or visited with family. The second week, he was allowed to move between various chairs and couches in the house, but he still suffered from shortness of breath if he moved too much. The third week he was allowed to go about his business, but he was barred from any hunting or training, though he didn't mind all that much. He was content to remain at home and spend time with his wife and son.

"Nearly dying changes your point of view like nothing else." he told me. "I will always answer the call when I am needed, but it's... good to stay at home with family too."

He received even more family time a few days later, when he was approached by his sister, Hannah. She had accepted a marriage proposal from a long time suitor, and as was customary, she sought the blessing of the head of the Belmont family on the marriage. It was more ceremonial that anything, since she would be marrying out of the family, but since it was still possible for one of her future children to be named as heir (though it was unlikely), it was considered good luck if the blessing was given. As her family head and lord, Trevor had the power to prevent the marriage from happening if he wished, but that was rarely used.

He already knew the young man in question, but he met with him anyway, spoke with him at length, and then gave his permission for the wedding to take place.

"I didn't even have to threaten him." he told me with a smile later that night. "All it took was one look, and he was swearing on all that was holy that he would be a perfect husband to her."

A few months later, with Trevor fully recovered, the wedding took place in the chapel, and Trevor stood and gave his blessing on the marriage when the priest asked for it. Hannah had married another feudal lord, but since she was Lord Belmont's sister, her husband was considered to have gotten the better deal. Trevor was able to dance with the new bride at the reception, and it pleased me to see that he showed no sign of any damage to his lung. The near fatal injury had healed perfectly.

Late that night, once the party was over, and Hannah and her new husband had departed for their own lands, I caught Trevor in the family room as he was preparing to go to bed for the night. I gently caught him by the arm after he had said his goodnights.

"Uncle Joachim?" he asked in puzzlement. "What is it?"

I didn't say anything; instead I only pulled him to me and wrapped my arms around him. He returned the embrace but tried to let go and step back after a few seconds, whereas I didn't.

"I'm just so glad," I whispered, "to see you moving around, dancing, laughing, living after what happened. I'm so glad that you're well again."

Trevor smiled faintly and stopped trying to step away. "I never thanked you for that vial of blood you gave me, and all the blood you gave me after I was hurt. I probably wouldn't have lived without it."

"Just seeing your up and about is thanks enough. I love you, Trevor."

"I love you too, Uncle Joachim. Thank you, for being there when no one else was, thank you for saving my life."

I kissed him lightly on his hair. "Whenever you need me, child." I let go of him and stepped back. "Now why don't you head on to bed?"

"Are you staying?"

"No, I think I'll go home for the night. I haven't been there that much; I need to make sure my servants aren't taking over in my absence."

Trevor laughed quietly. I reached out and squeezed his shoulder, and then I walked out of the house, morphed into a wolf, and ran home.

******

The harvest that fall was the best we'd had in years, which was the final proof that everyone needed to show that Dracula's curse had ended. While that was underway, more good news arrived when Sypha delivered a second son, that she had Trevor named Isaiah. I was delighted to have a second grandchild, but Jacob, who was about 2½ then, couldn't understand why everyone was so interested in that "smelly, noisy thing" as he put it. Though Jacob was the heir apparent, the Belmont's celebrated his brother's birth just as readily, which furthered annoyed him. Used to being the baby of the family, he didn't like the attention his baby brother was getting.

Trevor wasn't worried. "He'll get over it." was all he said, which Jacob did, once he realized that the noisy smelly thing was actually a little cute. Once Isaiah was old enough to start smiling and interacting with others, Jacob threw his jealousy aside and became his brother's keeper almost overnight.

Isaiah had his mother's blond hair and his eyes were a bright blue-green. Jacob liked the feel of his brother's hair and touched it whenever he could. By then Jacob's hair had begun to darken from blond to brown, but his eyes were still that deep blue that he had inherited from Trevor, something that I hoped he would always have.

******

In the summer of 1480, Trevor turned 30. The clan wanted to celebrate with a large party, but he declined and opted just for a small gathering consisting of his wife, children, myself, Jonathon, Kerwin, and Matatias. His mother and step father had long since given up on trying to get close to him, which suited him just fine. They lived on the Belmont lands, but he never acknowledged them unless he had no other option. I didn't blame him; I couldn't forgive them either.

Time slipped by as it is wont to do when life is good. Trevor became an uncle when his sister gave birth to a daughter, and he blessed his brother's wedding just a few months after his birthday. He mingled freely with the rest of the nobility and moved without trouble across the various vampire territories without incident. I had declared him independent of me at the age of 18, but since he provided such a useful function if keeping nuisance vampires and monsters down, no one minded as he crisscrossed the land, doing his work. Not even Actose bothered him.

In the late winter of 1482, Sypha gave birth to a daughter that was named Bridget. She and Trevor had already discussed their daughter's name, but the Belmonts were still surprised when she was named Belnades-Belmont. The reason for this was simple: as an old magical family, and with Sypha being the last of her line, they both wished for the name to continue. If Bridget could find a husband willing to take her name, then the Belnades family would continue on and she could drop the Belmont portion of her name. If she chose not to worry about it, she could drop the Belnades part.

By this time, Jacob was four years old, and to Sypha's delight, he began to show traces of magic. Magic among the male members of the Belnades clan was rare, but not unheard of, and since Trevor was a descendant of the magical Cronqvist family, it was not surprising that their children would be magical.

Even though he was only a quarter breed, Trevor's vampiric powers were increasing as he aged, so by the time Bridget was born, he could do short distance translocation with no difficulty. He could also use his power to increase his jumping height and distance, to the surprise of those he hunted. Unlike his son, he had inherited no magic from his grandfather, which didn't bother him at all. He had come to terms with his ancestry, but any reminders of Mathias was not something he liked to think about.

Adrian hadn't been seen since 1476, so Trevor took that to mean that he had indeed put himself to sleep. There had also been no sign or sound of Dracula reappearing. Trevor checked on the castle ruins once a year, but nature had quickly taken them over, and the faint traces of chaos that clung to the ruins were quickly fading with time.

With my grandchildren growing so quickly, I spent most of my time on the Belmont lands, and Trevor and Sypha were quick to tell me that I would always have a home there, but I still didn't want to intrude on the young family too much. In response, Trevor, with the help of his brother, Peter, and some of the other men, build me a small house nearby, just inside the ward line. I was touched by the gesture, especially when several of the children, not just Trevor's, begged me to live there and stay close to them. I wiped a few tears away, went to the house that Kerwin had had built for me, packed up my household, and moved right in. My grandchildren and their cousins soon became daily visitors. If I happened to have gingerbread squares and apple cider always on hand, well...

I didn't have to worry about covering myself with illusions; the Belmonts knew what I was. I had to be careful only when neighboring lords visited, which was only a few times a year. Kerwin was green with envy about that, since he had to keep himself and Matatias covered with illusions at all times.

Not long after I moved in, Trevor came to my door and invited me to go on a walk through the woods with him; he had something he wanted to show me. I was a little puzzled as to what he thought I would find interesting, but I humored him. We walked across the ward line and into the trees, while the setting sun cast long shadows to our right. After a few minutes, we came to a small clearing, with a single tree in the center of it.

Trevor pointed to the center tree. "That's my and Sypha's spot." he said, and I gave him a confused look. Did he bring me out here just to show me that? Apparently not, for he kept walking, towards the northern end of the clearing. I followed him, and he stopped at the edge of the bushy undergrowth and waited for me to catch up. He leaned down and used his right hand to push a shrub aside, exposing the ground under it.

"Sypha and I found him yesterday." he said. "We thought you might like to see."

Found... him?

Found who?

I gave Trevor another look, and then I stepped close and crouched down to look at the ground. Under the dirt, grass, and leaf litter, I could just barely see a bit of stone. I reached out and cleared away some of the debris, which allowed me to see faded letters.

Le n B  mont

My breath caught in my throat, and I quickly scooped up a handful of dirt and rubbed it onto the stone, which made the rest of the lettering visible.

Leon Belmont

There was a faded Latin inscription below the name, but I paid no attention to it. I ran my fingers gently across my friend's name, scarcely able to believe that he had been found. Leon's grave had been lost about a 150 or so years after his death. I had stayed away from the family during this time, so by the time I returned, the area where he had been laid to rest was unrecognizable, and no one, not even me, knew where to start looking. I recognized the crumbled, moss and dirt encrusted remains of the marker that had once covered the grave. I knew that a Jerusalem Cross had been carved into the stone, befitting Leon's station as a noble knight of the Crusades, but it was no longer visible on the shattered remains.

I whispered his name as I brushed my fingers across the letters one last time, and then I stood up and brushed the dirt from my clothes, but I still didn't take my eyes off of the spot, even when Trevor let go of the shrub, which once again concealed the marker. Kalina had been laid to rest right next to him, and I stepped to Trevor's other side, pushed a small tree out of the way, and found the fragmented remains of her marker as well.

"Why are they out here?" Trevor asked quietly. "This isn't consecrated ground."

I stood up from Kalina's grave with a small sigh. "It was at one time." I waved my hand to the east. "Through those trees used to be a small chapel. About a century before you were born, it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground. The current chapel had been built in 1284, I believe, so the older one had already fallen into disrepair, as the clan wanted a place to worship that was larger and closer to the houses. If you were to walk through the trees for a few hundred feet, you would come across the charred remains of the foundation."

Trevor looked intrigued, but then he looked back down at the graves in front of us. "They deserve better than this. No one should be forgotten."

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking that maybe we should move them, out of the undergrowth and into the actual clearing. New markers could be made, but we'd have to have the ground reconsecrated, which won't be difficult. Caleb would be happy to do it, I'm sure."

I nodded; Caleb was the family priest. "I'm sure he will if you ask him."

"I'll do that tomorrow then. In the meantime, why don't we head back?"

I nodded, but I let my gaze linger for a long moment on the graves before I turned and followed my godson through the deepening twilight home.

******

The very next day, Trevor spoke to Caleb and showed him the clearing. To the surprise of many, he asked that the entire clearing be consecrated, not just the small area where Kalina and Leon were lying. Once that was taken care of, carvers were hired and set to work making new grave markers, and once those were ready, new coffins were made, and a group of undertakers dug new graves while the old ones were exhumed. Over 300 years after their deaths, all that remained of Leon and Kalina were jumbled piles of bones, and those bones were carefully removed from the dirt and placed reverently into the new coffins. The coffins were then buried in the new graves, and the new markers were laid over them. There was a graveside service that was attended by the entire clan, and despite what one would think, it was actually quite a happy occasion. Everyone was glad that Leon and his wife had been found, especially me.

As a precaution, I asked Silvanus to extend the wards over the clearing, which he did with Trevor and Sypha's help a few days later. I didn't want to run the risk of someone vampire thinking it would be great fun to desecrate Leon's grave. Of course, they would have to invade my territory and face me, but there was always the possibility. I felt better knowing that he was protected.

******

In 1485, when Jacob was seven, Isaiah was six, and Bridget was three, Trevor and Sypha decided to take a trip over the mountains to see Hector and Julia. Even with my blood, Trevor would have died if it hadn't been for Julia's intervention, and he wanted to thank her for it, while also thanking Hector for taking down Dracula for him. They opted to take the children with them, and the boys were excited to go on their first "real adventure". Bridget of course, being only three, really didn't care where they were, as long as she was with her mama and papa.

They returned though, sooner than anyone expected, and Trevor told me that while Julia was still living in her little mountain house, Hector was gone. Apparently, he had gone out hunting one day, a few months after I had taken Trevor home and had not returned. There had been no word from him since.

I wasn't worried. "It seemed to me that Hector had many demons to deal with." I said as myself, Trevor, and Sypha sat at the table once the children were in bed, enjoying a glass of mead. "Maybe he thought it best if he dealt with them on his own." The two of them agreed with me, and no more was said on the subject.

******

The following year, 1486, Jonathon, who was by then 74 years old, fell whilst getting out of bed. Trevor heard him fall and ran immediately to his side and found him lying on the floor with a badly broken hip. He lifted him back into bed, and then sent for the doctors and myself. The doctors set the broken bone as much as they could and held it in place while I gave Jonathon a few sips of my blood, enough to start the healing.

But the broken bone didn't heal.

And I knew what that meant.

Jonathon's leg was propped up on pillows to mobilize it as much as possible, while Trevor waved the doctor's out. He too knew what the failure of of the bone to heal meant.

"Is it that time, Jonathon?" I asked him quietly.

"I'm so tired, Uncle Joachim." he mumbled as he closed his eyes. "I just want to rest for a while. Is that alright?"

I gave him a sad smile, even though he couldn't see it. "That is fine, child. Get some rest; I'll stay with you." Jonathon smiled faintly, and his breathing slowed and deepened as he drifted off. Trevor went to speak to Sypha then, while I settled into a chair by Jonathon's bed and waited.

Jonathon slept deeply over the next several hours. I stayed beside him, while Trevor and Sypha ducked in and out as they could. Other members of the clan heard of what was happening and they gathered outside his window to hold a quiet vigil. As the day waned, and the sun began to set. Trevor and Sypha sent their children to a cousin's house to be looked after, and they then joined me by Jonathon's bedside. Those outside lit candles while they waited.

Just before the last sliver of sun vanished below the horizon, Jonathon smiled in his sleep, and I felt his heartbeat falter once, twice, three times, and then it stopped. Trevor no doubt could hear it as well, for he closed his eyes and heaved a deep sigh. Sypha squeezed his shoulder, stood up, and left the room to inform everyone else, while I rose from my chair and stepped over to Trevor. I rested one of my hands on his shoulder, while he leaned his head against my side, crying silently for the man that had given him so much.

Chapter 4-3 – Chapter 4-5
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