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Blood Is Chapter 9
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Do I really have to mention that I don't own Castlevania? If I did, we would have gotten to see Julius curbstomp Dracula, the storyline would have been neatened up a bit, and Dracula and Alucard would have just HUGGED already after the reveal in Lords of Shadow 2.
Summary: Lords of Shadow Continuity: AU to Mirror of Fate and Lords of Shadow 2: Trevor wasn't the only one that had the truth of his parentage kept from him by the Brotherhood.
A/N: So after a few days of rest, and a quick visit to a physical therapist to quiet my carpal tunnel down (Oh so painful, but I can feel my fingertips again!), I'm back with Chapter 9.
9.
The castle's voices were silent.
The face was gone too.
He was warm again, and he no longer felt like some hideous monster was looming over him, prepared to strike. He heard other voices, two of them, but they did not torment him like the castle's voices did. They spoke to him in gentle tones that made him feel safe and protected, and sometimes they were accompanied by hands that ran through his hair. They felt nice, as did the arms that he could sometimes feel carrying him. He could stay like this forever, he decided. Decision made, he snuggled down into the soft surface he was lying on and went back to sleep.
******
Wolfram blinked his eyes open and stared into the darkness of the room for a moment. Tiny slivers of dim, blue light were shining on the ceiling through a small gap in the curtains, which told him that it was still very early in the morning, and that the sun had not yet risen. He could feel someone in the bed right next to him, but he knew it wasn't his wife. He could hear her quiet breathing on the other side of the bed, and he sat up and rubbed at his eyes before taking a look.
Edeline was sleeping deeply still, worn out from the constant effort of looking after Gabriel. Gabriel himself was lying between his parents in the large bed, wrapped in quilts that they had gotten at Wygol. He too was asleep, and Wolfram knew he would remain that way until the sun set in the evening. As dangerous as it was sharing a bed with a vampire, neither of them could bear the thought of making Gabriel lie on the floor.
Since they had left the rubble of Bernhard Castle, he was calmer, but he still had moments where he cried out and screamed at things only he could see. Then there were the times he would burst into tears for no reason that they could understand. As much as it pained him to admit it, Wolfram had days ago reached the conclusion that their son's mind had broken whilst trapped in the castle, and the Lord only knew if they could put it back together again. Having his parents close to him helped keep him calm though, hence the reason he slept between them whenever they stopped at an inn.
Gabriel shifted in his covers, and he let out a quiet moan as his father moved away from him. Wolfram reached out to soothe him, and Gabriel sighed quietly at the touch before he went still.. Wolfram smiled sadly as he carefully combed Gabriel's hair out of his face.
It had been six days since they had fled that cursed castle with Gabriel, and as much as they had wanted to leave for home immediately, none of them had been in any condition to do so. Keeping Gabriel hidden from the villagers had been impossible, but instead of being frightened of him, they had been delighted to see him alive, and they had filled Wolfram and Edeline on their son's heroics in rescuing the village from the vampires that had plagued it.
The fact that none of them apparently noticed that Gabriel was a vampire himself certainly helped.
A doctor had attended to Edeline's knee and shoulder while he had smuggled Gabriel up to their room while everyone else was out celebrating the destruction of the castle. He had then been able to sneak a tankard of blood from the butcher's shop while the butcher and his apprentices were out drinking. Gabriel had drank it without protest, and then he had gone to sleep. Hoping that he would be quiet while they were out, Wolfram had left him to sleep while he cleaned out the tankard and hid it under one of the benches in the carriage.
Edeline had wanted to return the three silver crucifixes to the little boy that had given them to her, but she hadn't been able to find him anywhere, and all the villagers had insisted that there was no such child in town. Instead they had bartered two of them for clothing and warm blankets for Gabriel, while the third, the one around Gabriel's neck, they kept. The silver was worth far more than they had traded for it, but Wolfram figured that getting Gabriel out of those damned curtains from the castle was worth its weight in gold. The fact that he had also been able to extract a promise from the grateful villagers to keep quiet about them taking Gabriel made it even better.
Oh, he knew that sooner or later, someone would let it slip that Lord and Lady Cronqvist had gone to the castle and taken Gabriel Belmont home with them, but he wanted to have Gabriel safely at home first. No doubt the Brotherhood would come sniffing around once word reached them that the castle was gone. Hopefully by then, Gabriel would be resting at home, and Wolfram would be able to use his knowledge to blackmail the Brotherhood into handing over Trevor. As much as he would love to, he couldn't attack them directly, not after all the good they had done during the whole mess with the Lords of Shadow and Satan. That wouldn't stop him from threatening to do so if they threatened Gabriel or refused to hand over Trevor. Kidnapping the heir of a noble house was punishable by hanging, and Volpe, like most of the Brotherhood, didn't have the cover of a title to protect him. Wolfram might even be able to say that Volpe was the mastermind while the rest of the Brotherhood were innocent dupes. They had certainly taken good care of Gabriel when he was a child, but that was no excuse for stealing him from his cradle and lying to him.
And that led to the next question; why had they stolen Gabriel to begin with? He had been wondering about this ever since he had realized that it had been the Brotherhood that had taken his son, and now he had to wonder why they had done nothing about Gabriel's situation after his defeat of Satan. With one of their own in such distress, one would think they would have gone running to his rescue and taken him home to his son, but they had not done that. On top of that, they had kept Trevor's existence from him somehow, which made it twice that they were guilty of stealing a man's child.
Gabriel whimpered quietly in his sleep as the sun crept towards the horizon, and Wolfram sighed and got out of bed to get dressed. Perhaps due to his mental state, Gabriel slept during the night as well as the day once he was fed and unless awakened by something, he would remain asleep until his next feeding. Keeping his son fed was a difficult job, since there were few ready sources of blood around. Butchers collected it, since it was used for cooking, so he could sometimes get it from them. He still had to be careful though, as there was no reason for a traveling lord to buy anything from a butcher's, so he had to steal it when no one was looking (while leaving a few coins in a hard to find place, so it was exactly stealing...). It was dangerous and risky, but he couldn't bear the thought of Gabriel going hungry. Other times he had to go out into the wilds, hunt down an animal, and slit its throat. Once the blood was collected, he would hide the corpse in the hopes that a predator would find and eat it before humans did.
With a sigh, Wolfram slipped quietly out of the room and went downstairs to see about having basket of food made for the day's journey. They went out of their way to keep Gabriel hidden from anyone that might see him since leaving Wygol, and that included leaving the inn before the sun was up and not checking in until it was down. This was done in part to make it harder for someone to spot Gabriel as they smuggled him in and out, but it was also to lessen the chances of him being burned by the sun, which they definitely did not want people to see. As far as the people thought, all the vampires were killed by Gabriel, and they wanted to keep it that way.
The lady of the house was saddened that they had to leave so quickly, but she quickly set the cook to making a basket for them, which would be waiting for them at the door. The coins that Wolfram pressed into her hand certainly helped her with that. With that done, he went back upstairs to find Edeline awake and dressed, and sitting on the bed while she smoothed Gabriel's hair back from his forehead and hummed a lullaby to him.
Wolfram carefully gathered Gabriel up into his arms without waking him, and with Edeline acting as a lookout, he carried him out of the room and down the backstairs, out of the main house, and into the carriage house. They laid him out on one of the benches inside the carriage, and spent a moment soothing him before they closed the door and left him, each hoping that he would be quiet until they could rejoin him. Edeline then scurried back to the room while Wolfram checked in with their driver, who was already up and eating a quick breakfast. He immediately finished his meal, climbed down from the loft, and started to get the team ready, while Wolfram returned to the main house.
They had used their own money to buy themselves some clothing to replace that which was ruined in the castle, as well as a few other things one needed when traveling. They were still several days from home, and Wolfram wished it possible to go nonstop, but the horses simply weren't capable of such a feat. As it was, he planned to make sure that those horses received a nice, long vacation once they were back at the manor.
They quickly packed up their things, and went downstairs. The promised basket of food was indeed waiting on them, and they quickly paid their bill (while giving the mistress of the house a little extra "for her trouble") and scurried out the door as the sun broke over the treeline. The driver brought the carriage around, but not so far that the inside of it could easily be seen from the house. They climbed in, and not too soon either, for the sudden movement of the carriage had awoken Gabriel, and he was looking around in confusion. Edeline went to him and began to soothe him before he could make any sound, and it made Wolfram smile to see him respond to his mother's voice and touch. He quickly went back to sleep, with his head resting on her lap, and soon they were rolling down the road again, towards home.
And he had no idea what they were going to do with Gabriel once they arrived. People may believe that all the vampires were gone, but it would take only one look at Gabriel's eyes, claws, and fangs for someone to put the facts together. Seeing his aversion to sunlight would make it even more obvious. There were dungeons deep under their house that were rarely used, but he didn't like the idea of putting his son down there, especially with his mental state. Gabriel wasn't a prisoner to keep locked up, and since it upset him if they weren't with him, that wasn't the best option. Keeping him in the house with them was the best, but that meant that keeping him – and his vampirism – hidden from the household staff and the rest of the family would be impossible.
If word got out that they were harboring a vampire, it could mean the family's destruction, even if said vampire was being hailed as a hero and was God's Chosen One. Though... Wolfram frowned in thought. Maybe... they could use that to their advantage? The crucifix that caused so much pain to the castle clearly had no effect on Gabriel, so they might be able to use that as proof that he wasn't an evil, monstrous, vampire, but simply God's champion that had become a vampire whilst doing His work.
Yes, yes, that might work. Perhaps it would be better to hold a family meeting right off, announce Gabriel's return, admit that he was a vampire, and show that clearly, holy objects didn't harm him? He would also have to make it clear that Gabriel's presence would have to be kept secret – it wouldn't do for the Brotherhood to find him there. They would protect their son, even from the people that had raised him.
They would also have to admit to their staff who and what Gabriel was, but that would probably be easier than admitting it to the family. Much of the older servants (including their current driver) were there the night that Gabriel had been stolen from his cradle, and the same was true for the most senior members of the guard staff. Having their "little master" back under their watch would no doubt please them greatly, and they would be able to keep the others under wraps about it. Betraying the family could be punished by death, and they knew it.
A quiet whimper from Gabriel made Wolfram break from his thoughts and look up. Edeline murmured to him as he shifted and ran her fingers through his hair, and he quickly settled back down. A quiet growl from his then stomach let him know that he had that basket of food sitting beside him, untouched, so he dug into it and found an assortment of rolls, meats, and cheeses, as well as a bottle of ale, and a bottle of honey mead. He pulled a sweet roll out, handed it to Edeline, and then poured himself a glass of mead.
Edeline took a bite of the sweet roll, swallowed, and then looked down at Gabriel's sleeping face. "I am not going to hide him away, Wolfram." she said firmly. "I didn't come all this just to squirrel him away in the dungeons."
Wolfram took a sip of his mead. "I agree. I believe the best way to handle this is to be honest. Tell them what we saw in the mirror and show that holy artifacts do not hurt Gabriel. Make it clear that no one outside the family is to know about the fact that he is a vampire though. I'd rather keep his existence a secret from the rest of the world, but I doubt the Brotherhood will allow that."
Edeline's face darkened at the thought of the Brotherhood. "After everything they've done to Gabriel so far, it doesn't surprise me that they would attempt to torture him further. I just wish I knew why."
"I intend to find out. Once Gabriel is settled in at home, I intend to confront Volpe with what we know. I hope to use it into forcing him to hand Trevor over without a fight, and if I am lucky, I might get some questions answered."
"Do you really think that they'll give Trevor to you? If Gabriel never knew about him, and they took him from his mother right after birth, then they must have some plan for him too."
"I know, and I hope we can spare Trevor from sharing his father's fate, but we will see." Wolfram fished a roll for himself out of the basket. "I don't want to attack them directly, because it could go very wrong for us, but that is our grandson they have, and they left Gabriel to rot in that cursed castle, so if it comes to that..."
Edeline nodded in understanding, and they lapsed into silence as the carriage rolled down the road.
******
The sun was sinking rapidly towards the horizon when they rolled up to the next stop on the road. Whomever had built these small inns had picked the perfect places for them, Wolfram thought, with them spaced just far enough apart that they could be reached after a day's ride. As planned, he and Edeline alighted from the carriage in front of the building, and their driver took it around the side to the carriage house. Gabriel they left sleeping on the bench, but he would wake as soon as the sun set, and he would be thirsty, so they would have to hurry.
They quickly checked in, and the houseboy took their things up to their room, which thankfully, was close to a rear staircase. With Edeline again acting as a lookout, Wolfram went down to the carriage house, and found Gabriel waking up and looking around with wide, frightened eyes.
"It's all right, Gabriel." he said gently as he climbed in and scooped him up into his arms. "Papa's got you." Gabriel's eyes swung over to him and stared intently at him, and Wolfram shivered slightly when he realized that he was actually staring at his neck. "Let's get you upstairs and into bed, and then I'll get you fed."
Gabriel made not a sound as he was carried into the inn and up the stairs, but he kept his eyes locked on Wolfram's neck, even as he was tucked into bed. He whined softly when Wolfram stood up and moved away, and his eyes dilated as he bared his fangs.
"I think to be safe, that you should keep away from him, Edeline." Wolfram warned as he fetched his sword and hunting knife, as well as the tankard that they used to feed Gabriel. "I'll be back as quick as I can." Edeline nodded as she settled into a chair in the corner, and Wolfram quickly left the room. He slipped down the backstairs and into the woods behind the inn. The deepening gloom made it hard for him to see, which would make hunting difficult, but he had to feed Gabriel somehow. He didn't want to think of how he would react if forced to go without too long.
Thankfully, God smiled down on him, for he was able to quickly catch two rabbits and drain their blood into the tankard. He hid the remains and then made his way back into the inn and up into their room. Gabriel was still lying in bed, while Edeline watched him from a chair in the corner, and his distressed whining stopped as soon as Wolfram walked in and offered the tankard to him. He eagerly slurped down the contents, and once he had finished, he allowed himself to be laid down, calm and quiet once more. Wolfram set the tankard aside, and then he and Edeline tucked Gabriel back in and kissed him goodnight. He smiled vaguely at them, and then he closed his eyes and went to sleep.
With their son fed and sleeping, Wolfram went down to the common room below to fetch dinner for them. He took a seat at one of the tables in a dark corner while he waited and listened to the conversation flowing around the room. A lot of it was about him – after all it was rare that such establishments were visited by nobility – but there was also talk about the upcoming growing season, the winter that had just past, and as always, there was talk about the Lords of Shadow and Gabriel's defeat of them. Toasts were raised in Gabriel's name, and it was only the fact that he didn't want to call undue attention to himself that prevented Wolfram from doing the same. Hearing talk of Gabriel's heroic deeds filled him with pride. His boy had done that! His boy had saved the world!
"I heard Bernhard Castle fell." said one of the drinkers at a nearby table.
"I heard the same," said another voice, "and I also heard that those Brotherhood types were pretty worried about it for some reason."
"Bah! They're daft!" said a third patron. "That place was cursed from the instant it was built! I say they salt the earth and never build anything there again!"
There was a general chorus of agreement from the the rest of the room. "It was a man from the Brotherhood that saved our necks though!" said the first speaker. "Last I heard of 'im he was seen following a little girl into that place, and then neither of them ever came out. Mebbie that's why the Brotherhood is so worried."
"What, you think our hero has a taste for little girls?" someone jeered.
"Or maybe it was a little girl that had a taste for older men!" laughed someone else.
Wolfram shook his head as a large platter covered with meat and vegetables was given to him, and he quickly carried it upstairs. He and Edeline ate in silence, and then they retired for the night, once again sleeping with Gabriel sandwiched protectively between them.
******
Wolfram's eyes flew open when a loud banging sounded against their door. He raised his head from the pillow and blinked; had he dreamed that? Apparently not, because Edeline was stirring too, and even Gabriel was shifting around in his blankets.
The banging came again, loud and insistent, so Wolfram threw the quilt back and stood up. He pulled it over Gabriel's face so he wouldn't be seen in the still dark room, and then he padded over to the door, just as someone banged on it a third time. He was surprised that he couldn't hear anyone stirring in the rooms on either side of them; couldn't they hear that?
He pulled the door open just enough to see who was knocking and then made sure to stand between the opening and the bed to block any view of Gabriel and hoped his boy would be quiet.
"What?" he hissed. "Do you've any idea what time it was?"
The houseboy stood on the other side of the door, looking at him with the most serious expression he had ever seen on the face of a boy that age. "Lord Cronqvist, you and your family need to leave, immediately." he said quietly, yet firmly.
"What? What do you mean? Why?"
"The Brotherhood is coming. They know that you were at the castle, and they are coming."
Oh God... Wolfram looked intently at the boy's face for a moment; was this a prank? But no, the boy's bright blue eyes showed no hint of mischief or deceit. "Thank you." he said quietly as he stepped back and shut the door, and he saw the boy nod and turn to walk away as he did so.
Once the door was closed, Wolfram walked quickly back to the bed. "Edeline!" he hissed as he reached out and shook her.
She came awake slowly and blinked tiredly at him. "Wolfram?"
"Get up, get dressed, and start packing our things. We need to leave, right now."
To her credit, she got up and started moving before she asked any questions. "What's going on?"
"I've just been informed the Brotherhood is on their way. I'm going to wake our driver and help him get the horses ready. Keep Gabriel covered, and don't open the door for anyone. I'll be back soon to get him."
"Alright. Be careful, Wolfram."
"I will."
He threw his clothes and boots on, fastened his sword at his hip, (Just in case...) and slipped out the door and down the backstairs. Once he was out of the inn, he ran across the T shaped drive to the carriage house, where he found their driver asleep in the hayloft. He shook the man awake and told him to start getting the horses ready right away, that the Brotherhood was on their way. The man, not wanting to risk losing his little master again, scrambled to obey, and Wolfram followed him down the ladder to help.
They pair worked as quickly and as quietly as possible in the darkened carriage house, not wanting to risk attracting attention by lighting more than a single candle, and soon they had the team hitched to the carriage. They then walked the team and the carriage out of the carriage house and into the drive close to the staircase door. Wolfram then dashed back into the house and up the stairs.
He found Edeline dressed and standing guard just inside the door, with their bags on the floor at her feet.
"Take the bags and head down." he whispered as he moved towards the bed. "I'll get Gabriel." He didn't wait to see if she obeyed; instead he walked quickly over to the bed, pulled the top cover down, and scooped Gabriel up. Gabriel whimpered quietly, but then he nestled down and went quiet again, and Wolfram turned towards the door just in time to see Edeline leave the room with their things. He moved over to the door, took a quick peek out to make sure it was clear, and then he slipped down the hall and down the backstairs.
The sky was still completely dark, and there was only a faint sliver of a moon, so he couldn't really see the carriage until he was close to it, but he was just barely able to see Edeline's faint outline waiting inside. He climbed in, laid Gabriel down on the bench with her, and then froze for a second when the sound of distant hoof beats feel on his ears.
He cursed quietly, and then stood up to speak softly to the driver. "Pull the carriage into the trees at the end of the drive!" He then ducked inside and pulled the door shut just as the carriage began to move. Instead of turning to the right, towards the road, it turned left. It rolled off the dirt drive and into the woods at the end, and then went on for quite a distance before it stopped. With the lamps not lit, hopefully it would be far enough to prevent them from being seen from the drive or house. He then heard the driver jump down from his seat and saw him run past.
"What is he doing?" Edeline whispered, and Wolfram risked a glance out of the window to see him running back towards the carriage house. A few seconds later, he saw the faint light from within from the one candle that they had used go out, and then he heard the doors shut, followed by the sound of his running feet back towards them. He did not climb up back into his seat though; instead they heard him move around to stand in front of the horses, hopefully to keep them quiet. If they were spotted here, they wouldn't have a chance of backing the carriage out before they were surrounded.
The hoof beats came closer, and Wolfram prayed that Gabriel wouldn't have a nightmare or flashback as they pounded up the road and into the drive.
"I don't understand why Cardinal Volpe is so worried about the Cronqvists anyway." came a voice, Wolfram hunched down and held his breath. Across from him, he could faintly hear Edeline doing the same.
There came the sound of people getting down from their saddles. "He just wanted us to check on Bernhard Castle, Rolfe, you know that."
"But what for? We hear rumors that the Cronqvists are there looking around, and he sends the five of us out there to investigate. What is he worried about?"
"Perhaps he's simply concerned with something happening to them out there. We all know the history of that castle, and he has petitioned for a new compound on their land, a compound that won't happen if something happens to Wolfram Cronqvist." said a new voice.
"Once again you are the voice of reason, Eddard." said a fourth voice.
"I still think it's crazy." said the one called Rolfe. "What business is it of ours what the nobles get up to in their spare time..."
"Let's just put the horses away." Eddard said calmly. "We've been riding all day, and we've still quite a distance to go before we're at Wygol."
"I second that," said a fifth voice, "If you hate it so damned much, Rolfe, why did you join the Brotherhood to begin with?"
Rolfe didn't answer, instead they heard only quiet grumbling, accompanied by the sounds of horses walking into the carriage house for the night.
"I do wonder though," said the fifth voice.
"Oh, not you too."
"Hear me out. If he wants us to check on the Cronqvists, who are rumored to be at the castle, why did the Cardinal order us to stay out of the castle itself? Hard to check on them if we can't go where they're said to have gone."
"Who knows what that man is thinking? I'm still baffled that he sent Gabriel out on that quest alone."
"Well, Gabriel was certainly up to the task." came Eddard's voice again as they seemed to be moving towards the house.
"I have to agree though." Rolfe said quietly as they crossed the drive. "He may have done the deed on his own, but if some of us had gone with him, he might be back home and having to put up with us raising too many drinks in his name instead of lying dead somewhere. We weren't even permitted to go find his body so we can bury him."
"You know why. The Land of the Dead is too dangerous for us to go in just to retrieve a body."
"Still not right though. Poor Trevor's never going to know his father except for the stories we tell of him."
There came the sound of a door opening, and the voices became muffled as their owners moved inside, and then the door shut. Wolfram released the breath he had been holding.
"We'll stay here for a bit longer," he whispered, "To give them time to go to sleep."
"Alright." Edeline said quietly, and though he couldn't see her, Wolfram imagined that she was running her fingers through Gabriel's hair in an attempt to keep him quiet. If he cried out or screamed now...
Wolfram glanced out the carriage window and could just faintly see lights on in windows through the trees. "I hope they go to bed soon." he said to himself as he watched. Behind him, Gabriel made a soft sound of distress as he stirred.
"Shhh," Edeline whispered. "Hush, Gabriel. Go back to sleep."
Wolfram ducked back inside and knelt down on the floor beside him. "Be quiet, Gabriel. We're right here. Nothing is going to happen to you." He heard the rustling of cloth as Gabriel shifted in his quilts. "It's all right. Go back to sleep."
With a small, soft sigh, Gabriel went still, and Wolfram moved from the floor to the bench.
"I wish I knew what he was dreaming of." Edeline whispered. "Even as I know it's probably nothing that I would want to see. It's... difficult when your child is in distress, and there is nothing you can do about it."
"I know." Wolfram said quietly in agreement. "I just hope that he will come back to himself once he's safe at home. I think that thrice damned castle can be largely blamed for his current state. He was alone with that place for months; imagine the effect that had on him."
"I don't want to think of it. We came so close... If we had been just a few days later..."
"Then don't. Remember that we did find him, that we did get him out of there, and that we're not on our way home with him. We can move forward from there."
Back at the house came the sound of a door opening, and two voices were heard walking out and towards the carriage house. Wolfram and Edeline went silent again and waited.
"Why do I always have to keep coming out here with you?" grumbled one of the Brotherhood knights that they had heard just a few minutes before.
"I can't help it if my brother locked me in the cellar all night when I was little." came Eddard's voice.
"Always the voice of reason – unless it comes to dark places. Just get what you left in the damned saddle bag, and hurry up. I want to go to bed."
Wolfram wasn't sure if Gabriel recognized the voices and wanted to call out to them, or if they frightened him for some reason, but he moved too late to stop the cry that escaped his son's mouth. He clapped his hand down over Gabriel's mouth to try and prevent further noise, but it wouldn't do much good against the one he had already made.
"What in God's name was that?" came Eddard's voice.
"I don't know," said the other, "but it came from those trees over there."
Gabriel made a muffled whine and tried to turn his head away to get away from Wolfram's hand, which forced him to slip down to the floor, so he could hold his head still with his other hand.
"Shhh, be still, Gabriel." Edeline said in a voice that was so low he could barely hear her. "We need you to be quiet." Gabriel whined again and tried to turn his head, but Wolfram's hand pressing down on his forehead stopped him.
"That sounded like Gabriel's voice, didn't it?"
Wolfram stopped breathing.
"You're out of your mind. Gabriel's dead, and he lies out in the Land of the Dead, remember?"
"I swear it was him! Let's go check it out."
Footsteps began walking towards them. "I still think you're out of your mind."
The house door opened again. "Sirs?" came the houseboy's voice. "Your meal is ready."
"We'll be there in a minute."
"Sirs, your friends are already helping themselves, so hurry or you won't have much left."
"Damn it. Let's go, Eddard. I'm not skipping out on a meal just to investigate some weird sound."
"I swear that was Gabriel!"
"Gabriel is dead, Eddard, and no amount of wishing otherwise is going to bring him back! Now let's go eat and go to bed for the night. We've got another long day of sitting in the saddle ahead of us."
There was a long pause, a sigh, and then: "Fine, let's go." followed by footsteps walking back towards the inn. A few seconds later, the door shut, and faint conversation began to drift from the first floor.
Wolfram released the breath that he had been holding. "That was far too close." he whispered as he let go of Gabriel, who was sniffling, and scooped him up into his arms to comfort him as he sat back on the bench. "Shhh, I'm sorry for that Gabriel, but we didn't want them to know you're here though so we an keep you safe. Hush..." Gabriel curled close to him and hiccuped.
"I wonder why that upset him so much?" Edeline wondered.
"I'm not sure that I want to know."
They went quiet then as they waited, and after a few minutes, Gabriel calmed and went back to sleep, so Wolfram laid him down with his head on his mother's lap again, and then he moved to the window to watch the inn.
Thankfully, the knights didn't say up too long, for the lights in the common room went out after ten minutes or so, followed by the lights upstairs shortly after that. They waited for another half hour to give the men time to fall into deep sleep before he stuck his head out through the window on the carriage door and called quietly for their driver to back the carriage out of the drive. He hoped that he horses wouldn't make any loud noises.
The carriage slowly rolled backwards down the drive, past the inn, and into the road, and then it reversed direction and began to move forward towards home, and it wasn't until the inn was out of sight that Wolfram allowed himself to relax a tiny bit. When they had gone at least a mile down the road without any sign that their departure was noticed, he let himself sag against he wall of the carriage and breathe a sigh of relief.
"Once things are settled," he said tiredly, "I'll have to come back here and offer that houseboy a position in our household. I don't know how he knew that they were coming, but it certainly saved us from encountering them as we left in the morning."
"I agree." Edeline said. "I'm just glad he warned us, and I'm glad that they are going in the direction opposite from us." She tucked Gabriel's blankets around him as the first streaks of predawn blue began to appear on the eastern horizon. He was safe for now.
******
A/N 2: I just had to write a scene with Gabriel getting some fatherly love after seeing a fanart of him being glared at in hatred by Leon and Richter until he left in tears. I just had to. XD
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Small typo, "He he cried out or screamed now..." It looks like a "Had he...". :) I like the use of names of knights mentioned in scrolls.