Blood Is Chapter 10

[eiahmon]

Title: Blood Is
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.

10.

Wolfram allowed himself a small sigh of relief as the carriage rolled across their land. They were just over a day away from home, and on their own land, they had more power to bear against the Brotherhood if needed. He looked over at Gabriel, lying curled up on his side under his quilts, with his head on his mother's lap. He was awake, but his eyes were dull and unfocused, and Wolfram frowned as he thought of who exactly could be blamed for his mental state. The castle had driven him to that point, but it was Volpe that had sent him there, and Wolfram intended to do whatever he could to ruin the man before the week was out.

He glanced out the window at the cloudy sky; it had been overcast since the previous afternoon, and off and on, he thought he could smell rain. Hopefully, they would get home before -

The carriage jolted to a sudden stop, and Edeline grabbed a hold of Gabriel to stop him from falling to the floor. "What in the world?" she asked in bewilderment.

"I don't -" Wolfram began, but he was interrupted before he could finish the sentence. Yells and calls sounded from the treeline on either side of the rode, followed by the sound of running footsteps, and he saw Edeline's eyes widen in horror as she held Gabriel close to her. "Highwaymen!" He cursed and reached for his sword, but before he could touch it, the door flew open, and grasping hands grabbed a hold of Edeline and pulled her out of the carriage.

"Wolfram!"

He felt his heart stop at his wife's cry, and he jumped to his feet and leapt out of the carriage and onto the road. There was a group of five men brandishing swords and knives, and one had Edeline, while a second had their driver.

"Lookie here, boys!" sneered one of the men, obviously the leader of their little gang. "Nobles traveling without any guards. How unfortunate... for them, that is." The others laughed, and the one holding onto Edeline pulled her back against him.

"I'm going to have some fun with you." he leered. "I've never had a noble woman before."

Edeline squirmed in his embrace. "Let go of me!"

"Drop the sword, pretty boy." the leader sneered. "Unless you want to be a widower. Branon here doesn't care if they're alive or dead."

"Branon" gave him a sickly grin and pressed Edeline against him, and Wolfram could clearly see the large dagger in his hand. Wolfram sighed in defeat and dropped his sword to the ground, and one of the others strode forward and shoved him out of the way.

"Let's see what you got in here!" he said as he climbed into the carriage. "Oh, what this? You holding out on us? Why didn't you say that you -"

There was a low growl from the carriage, and the sound of it made the hair on the back of Wolfram's neck stand up.

"What the? Oh my god!"

The growl turned into a furious snarl, there was a crunch!, and the thief stumbled out of the carriage, hands clutched around his neck, and blood spurting from between his fingers. Everyone went still and watched in silence as he staggered a few steps away from the carriage, stumbled, and then pitched face forward to the ground. He twitched a few times, there was a gurgling sigh, and then he went still as blood soaked into the dirt around him.

"What the hell was that!" the leader shouted as he stared wide eyed at his fallen subordinate.

From behind him, Wolfram heard another growl, and he looked over his left shoulder to see Gabriel stepping out of the carriage. His ankle length wool over tunic was streaked with blood down his front, and Wolfram's eyes followed the blood smear up Gabriel's front, until he reached his face, and he shivered at what he saw.

His bloodied mouth was open wide, baring his fangs, and he was producing a sound not unlike a snake that was warning off a predator. His normally pale skin was flushed with color, and Wolfram shivered again when he realized it was that way due to the blood he had just drank, but that was not the worst part, not by far.

It was his eyes. They were staring intently at those in front of him, and there was no life in them, no recognition, no sign that there was a living, thinking being behind them. The pupils were dilated, and the tiny band of red that was visible around them was... they were glowing. This was not Gabriel Belmont, this was not their son. This was a vampire. This was a predator.

One who had evidently spotted his next meal.

Wolfram blinked, and Gabriel was suddenly standing on the side of the road near the one that had his mother. The man stared at Gabriel is slack jawed shock, which allowed Edeline to wiggle out of his grip and run over to her husband. Wolfram ignored his wife's fingers digging into his arm as Gabriel seized her captor by his head, wrenched it to the side, and bit deeply into his neck. There was a sickening squelch! and blood spurted past Gabriel's head as he began to drink.

"What the hell is this!" the leader screamed as he watched Gabriel drop the dead, desiccated corpse to the ground. Wolfram stared at the body as it laid on the ground, dried like fruit set out for the winter, until he saw the leader move threateningly towards his son while drawing his weapon.

He pushed Edeline away from him, snatched up his own sword from where it lay on the road, and ran towards the bastard threatening his son, just as Gabriel lined up his next victim. Their driver was able to scramble away in terror as Gabriel grabbed the highwayman by the neck and dragged him over. He wrapped the man in his arms as though he was embracing a lover, and there came the squelch! again as he sank his teeth in deep.

The fifth highwayman jumped in front of Wolfram, brandishing his sword, but Wolfram simply batted the blade away and stabbed him right through the chest. He yanked his sword out and was on the move before the body could hit the ground, but he was too late as the leader raised his own blade just as Gabriel dropped the remains of his chosen victim and turned to face him.

His entire face was smeared with blood, and there was streaks of it in his hair, but Wolfram ignored that as the leader plunged his blade straight into Gabriel's chest. Behind him Edeline screamed as the sword exited out Gabriel's back with a spray of blood, and Gabriel yelled in pain and staggered under the blow.

"I'll teach you to kill my people!" the leader screamed as he wrenched the blade free. Gabriel stumbled forward, teetered for a second, and then he collapsed to the ground and went still. Edeline screamed again, and Wolfram stared at his son's body, willing him to move, to get up, to do anything, anything but lie there as still as the grave.

"Gabriel!" Edeline screamed in horror as Wolfram continued to stare mindlessly. "Gabriel!"

******

Members of the Brotherhood scrambled out of their way as Wolfram strode through the compound, with several of his best knights marching in step with him. Apprentices and squires stared with wide eyes and slack jaws, and whispers followed them about the purpose of their visit, and why did Lord Cronqvist look fit to murder someone?

Wolfram ignored that all however; he knew exactly where he was going thanks to his tour of the place 36 days earlier, and he walked up to the double doors into the dining hall and slammed them open. The sound of the oak doors slamming against the stone walls attracted everyone's attention, and heads swiveled around to stare at him and his entourage as they walked in as though they owned it.

"William Volpe!" he roared in rage. "Where are you, you child stealing bastard!" He heard gasps and expressions of outrage from the men around him, but he ignored that as Volpe, seated at a long table at the head of the room, stood up to greet him.

"Lord Cronqvist," the man said in an even tone that only grated on Wolfram's nerves. "What brings you here tonight?"

"Don't play innocent with me! You know full damned well why I am here! I found out the secrets that you were doing your best to hide, and I intend to make you pay, here, tonight!"

"I am afraid that I have no idea what you are talking about." Volpe turned to the men standing on either side of him. "If you two would escort Lord Cronqvist from the premises and bar him from coming back in?"

"Don't you lie to me!" Wolfram snapped. "Twenty-five years ago you stole my son, and now you keep my grandson away from me!" More gasps sounded from those in the room.

"I assure you, Lord Cronqvist, that Trevor Belmont is not your grandson." He gestured for his men, but Wolfram's own knights raised their weapons and shields.

"Then how did you know of whom I was speaking of?" Wolfram said as he glared at Volpe, and the dining hall went silent at the implications.

To his credit, Volpe recovered quickly from his slip up. "It's an easy assumption to make with the rumors about his father's origins swirling about."

"I saw the mirror."

Volpe froze for an instant. "The mirror? You saw...?"

"I saw everything. I watched you snatch my son from his cradle! I saw you take my grandson from his mother's arms! I heard you order your men not to go into the castle, the castle where Gabriel was hiding!"

"Gabriel Belmont is dead, Lord Cronqvist."

"Damn right he is! Dead, killed on the side of the road by a highwayman as my wife and I were trying to take him home!"

Cries of disbelief: "What!", "Gabriel survived?", "I thought he died battling Satan!" rang out around them.

"Did you not tell your people the truth, Cardinal?" Wolfram asked as he stepped forward. "Did you tell them that Gabriel did not survive his battles, so no one would run to his aid? Was there a reason you wanted him stowed away in the castle, slowly going mad, unaware that he had a young son waiting on him!"

"Impossible!" Volpe gasped as he staggered back away from his chair. "Gabriel had because a -"

"No one can live through having a sword run through their heart, Cardinal! Not even God's Chosen!"

"But the prophecy -!"

"To hell with your prophecy! What excuse could you possibly have for taking a child from his family and then telling him that that family did not want him!" The Cardinal did not answer. Instead he stumbled back from his chair and collapsed into the arms of one of his men, looking at Wolfram in horrified shock.

"You.. you went to the castle?" he stuttered as he was helped into a chair.

"I did, with my wife." Though he knew he shouldn't, Wolfram couldn't help but hope that the man's heart was on the verge of giving out. It would make things so much easier in the long run, plus it would be a fitting punishment for the one that had torn his family apart all those years ago. "We put the facts together, we realized that the descriptions of those who had attacked our house years ago matched the description of the uniform worn by Brotherhood knights. Someone even described your chosen weapon perfectly. When we heard the rumors that Gabriel Belmont was an unwanted bastard from my family, it made everything fall into place. Seeing Trevor and learning that he has the same eye color as my wife and son just made things make that much more sense. So yes, we went to the castle, upon being told that Gabriel was there. We found him there, all alone and out of his mind. We took him out, we were taking him home, and we were nearly there when we were attacked! Gabriel died when he was stabbed through his heart! My son died trying to protect the parents he had just met only days before! My son died because you set him up! You took him from his cradle! You sent him on that quest alone! You kept his son hidden from him so he wouldn't have a reason to return! And you prevented his own brothers in arms from running to his aid by lying to them! What have you to say for yourself, Cardinal!"

The man didn't seem to know what to say. "But.. but the prophecy!"

"I don't care about your damned prophecy! I came here tonight to make you answer for your crimes, and I will have what I came for! You stole my son, sent him to his death, and now you have my grandson! Trevor will be leaving here with me!"

"I need Trevor Belmont! He will have -"

"I don't care what you need! Trevor is my grandson, and he will be returning with me to his family! Am I in any way unclear, Cardinal! Try and stop me, and I will end you! I could see you hang for what you've done! The only reason I have not pushed for that is because not everyone here is guilty, and I will not see them punished when they have done nothing!" Wolfram looked around the room at the sea of shocked faces staring back at him. "You did much good last fall, and I know that some of you regret that you were unable to assist Gabriel during his travels. You have my thanks for you work, and please understand that I do not blame your for your leader's actions." He looked at one squire that was standing nearby. "I want you to fetch Trevor and bring him here immediately." He looked at one of his own knights. "Go with him; bring Trevor straight to me."

The squire looked to Volpe for instructions, but the old man was slumped down in his chair, staring sightlessly at the table in front of him. The boy scampered out of the room then, with Wolfram's man following him, and Wolfram stood calmly in the middle of the dining hall as he waited, ignoring the conversation around him. He actually pitied some of the men there; having the foundations of one's world shaken so hard was not a pleasant experience. Even if they didn't believe what he had said, no doubt it would have them questioning things.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long, for only a few minutes had passed when he heard a door opening, followed by footsteps. He looked to his left to see the nurse walking into the room, carrying a sleeping toddler in her arms, while Wolfram's knight walked behind her. She took looked towards Volpe for instructions, but again, he didn't say anything.

"I'll take that." Wolfram said evenly, and his knight gave the woman a nudge from behind. She scurried over to him, and to her credit, she only hesitated a moment before she held Trevor out to him. He accepted the sleeping child into his arms and looked down at the tiny face to make sure it was the right child. He didn't trust them not to try passing off another child as Trevor after everything else they had pulled.

"My men and I will be leaving now." he said in a quieter tone, not wanting to disturb his grandson. "Leave my family alone, Volpe, or I will make good on my threat." With that, he turned, and, flanked by his knights, strode out of the dining hall, cradling Trevor in his arms.

No one bothered them as they walked out of the compound, and Wolfram climbed into his waiting carriage without a word. He settled down on the bench with Trevor in his arms as the carriage jolted and began to move, and only then did he allow the tears to start rolling down his face.

******

It was a seven day long journey back home, and thankfully it went smoothly, all things considered.

Trevor woke up early the next morning as they were rolling past newly planted fields. He blinked open his soft green eyes and looked up at Wolfram in confusion.

"Hello, Trevor." Wolfram said softly. "Do you remember me? I'm your grandpapa."

"Gampapa?"

Wolfram smiled. "Close enough." He gently brushed the child's sleep tousled hair out of his face. "You're going to live with me and your grandmother now."

"Gam-ma."

He laughed quietly. "That's right."

"Holly?"

Holly must be the nurse." No, Trevor. Holly had to stay behind."

Trevor looked about the inside of the carriage. "Holly!" he yelled, and his voice sounded quite loud in the small space.

"Holly is not here, Trevor."

Trevor looked up at him with a trembling chin. "No Holly?"

"No Holly, Trevor. I'm sorry."

Trevor's chin trembled again, and a few tears gathered in his eyes as he reached up. "Up." he said softly. Wolfram smiled faintly as he lifted the child up and felt a tiny pair of arms reach around his neck. The nursery assistant, who had accompanied him, offered to take him, but Wolfram shook his head slighty at her outstretched arms. Trevor's warm weight settled against his chest as the boy began to cry, and Wolfram rocked him and murmured to him.

"Things are going to be much better for you." he said gently as Trevor sobbed into his shoulder. "You'll have me, your grandmother, and so many cousins that you won't know what to do with them all. You'll have an entire family to call your own. And guess what, your papa will be there too."

Trevor raised his head and looked at him with red, puffy eyes. "Papa?"

"Yes, your papa. I'm sure he'll be very happy to meet you." He used his thumb to gently wipe a tear from the boy's cheek. "Now are you ready for breakfast? I'm sure I have something for that tiny stomach of yours in here somewhere."

Trevor rubbed at his swollen eyes as Wolfram stood up and reached for a basket that their cooks had packed for him. He quickly fished out a roll for Trevor to nibble on, and soon the tears were gone as he happily munched away. Wolfram couldn't help but smile at the child sitting on his lap. He had his son, and now he had his grandson, and he held the boy close as the carriage rolled down the road towards home.

******

Several days later later found Wolfram walking the halls of his own home, headed straight for his and Edeline's rooms. Trevor was sleeping in his arms again, and many people smiled at the sight as he passed. It was already known that Trevor was his and Edeline's grandson, so he didn't have to deal with any questions as he walked up to those familiar double doors. Instead of walking through them, however, he walked past them, and down to the next door, one that he had avoided during the previous 25 years.

After his abduction, Gabriel's nursery had simply been closed off, and neither Wolfram nor Edeline had ever set foot in it again. With his return however, it had been opened back up, cleaned out, and set up for temporary use. By all rights, as a grown man, Gabriel should have his own suite of rooms, but with his fragile mental state, they wanted him close to them to better look after him.

The two guards stationed at the door opened it for him, and he walked into the darkened room with Trevor as the door shut behind him. The broken remains of the old furniture had been thrown out, while Gabriel's cradle had been put aside for possible future use. Instead there was only a single regular bed against the right wall, a small table with a lamp, and two chairs. Edeline was in one of those chairs, watching Gabriel sleep by the soft glow of the lamp, and she looked up at him as he walked in.

"Did it work?" she asked quietly.

Wolfram nodded as he sat down in the other chair, and he smiled when Edeline eagerly held her arms out. He handed Trevor over to her and watched as she cradled him and cooed to him. "It worked." he said after a minute, which prompted her to look up at him. "Though I'm having a hard time believing how easy it was. Volpe is convinced that Gabriel died when that highwayman ran a sword through his heart, and the rest of the Brotherhood didn't seem too happy about being lied to by him either. Hopefully it will buy us some time. Volpe kept mentioning a prophecy, and he insisted that he needed Trevor for something, so I doubt he'll just give up though."

"Did he say for what?"

"No, I didn't give him a chance. I would like to know what he was carrying on about, but I was far more concerned with getting Trevor far away from there as quickly as possible."

Edeline looked down at the toddler in her arms and smiled again. "He's here now. He's ours, and no one is going to take him from us."

"Why don't you get things sorted for him then? He needs a bath and a change of clothes, and I'm sure he'll be hungry when he wakes up. We can announce him to the rest of the house after dinner. I'll sit with Gabriel while you're gone." Edeline smiled and nodded, and then she stood up from her chair, leaned forward to kiss Wolfram on the cheek, and then she walked out of the room with Trevor in her arms.

Wolfram leaned back and stretched, and the wood of the chair creaked as he moved. He then slumped down and looked over at his sleeping son. Gabriel was sleeping deeply under the quilt, curled up on his right side, with his hair splayed out across the pillow. His left hand with its long black claws was poking out from under the quilt, so Wolfram quietly leaned forward and tucked them under, and the touch caused Gabriel to shift and mumble something before he went still again. It was a relief to see him show signs of life after what had happened 17 days previous.

Gabriel didn't move, even as his mother ran to him, and the leader of the highwaymen turned to face them.

"I'm sorry. Did he mean something to you?" he sneered. "That's what happens to those that attack my men!" He brandished his sword again and grabbed Edeline as she tried to run past him to reach Gabriel. "Now to take care of you."

Wolfram stared, too horrified to move and prevent this... monster from killing his wife, and he thought for one crazy moment that at least they would all be together on the other side soon. Hopefully, Trevor wouldn't walk down the same path that his father had been forced onto and...

With a growl, Gabriel moved. The leader dropped his sword and spun around to face him as Gabriel pushed himself up and got to his feet. Edeline wrenched herself out of her grip and ran back to Wolfram as Gabriel stared at the man that had attacked him with glowing red eyes.

"What in hell's name!" the leader screamed, and he raised his sword again, but the blade was ripped from his hands before he could use it. Gabriel tossed the blade aside as he stared at his target, and Wolfram found his eyes drawn to the front of his tunic, which was now completely soaked in blood, as he lunged forward with claws outstretched.

The man didn't even have time to scream.

The claws of Gabriel's left hand dug into the side of his neck, and blood sprayed out through the holes created. His other hand dug into his chest, and then ripped out with another spray of blood. The body collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from the gaping wound, leaving Gabriel standing there, with a still beating heart in his hand.

Wolfram watched as the heart slowed and stilled in his hand, and then Gabriel dropped it as he began to sway on his feet. To his shame, he hesitated for a moment before he rushed forward and caught Gabriel in his arms as he collapsed forward again.

"Gabriel!" he called as he shook him. "Gabriel, answer me!"

Gabriel's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, and he let out a low moan before he slumped down in Wolfram's arms. Had he fainted? How could he tell? Without thinking, he reached for a pulse, and to his surprise, he found one, a slow, sluggish one, but still a heartbeat. He let out a little sigh at that; he had just fainted.

"My lord?" came a trembling voice from behind him, and Wolfram looked over his shoulder to see their driver standing there with wide eyes.

"Not a word of this, to anyone." Wolfram ordered. "This will stay between us; no one else is to know. Understood?"

The man nodded quickly, as did Edeline. Good. "Edeline, come here." She gave him a shaky not and obeyed. He stood up, pulling Gabriel up with him, and handed him over to her. "Take him back into the carriage and get him cleaned up. I have to.. clean up the mess out here." Edeline flinched, and she nearly dropped Gabriel doing so. "Edeline." he told her firmly. "He killed those men protecting himself and us. He went for the one threatening you as soon as he could. Think about that." She nodded again, and she turned and began to walk Gabriel, calm and docile once more, back to the carriage.

Wolfram and their driver had dragged the bodies as deep into the woods aside the road as they could and hidden them under piles of leaves and fallen branches. It wasn't perfect, but digging graves would be pointless; animals would have them dug out within hours anyway. They had also hidden Gabriel's bloodied clothing once Edeline had him out of it. They had returned to the carriage to find Gabriel dressed in one of his father's linen under tunics, wrapped in his quilts, and sleeping soundly once more. They had returned home as fast as the horses could go, and once they had arrived, he had sent Edeline inside with instructions to send the head of their knights out to the carriage house.

Wolfram rode the carriage into the privacy of the carriage house, with Gabriel lying on the bench beside him. He wasn't asleep, which would make things easier. Once the carriage was parked, the driver informed him that Sir Pershan was waiting, and Wolfram waved for him to join him inside the carriage.

John Pershan was a battle grizzled old soldier that had been with the Cronqvists since he was a boy, and he had risen through the ranks quickly due to his skill and shrewd sense of strategy. Now in his late 60's, he wore the marks of his rough and tumble life with pride, and he had acted as a friend as well as an older brother of sorts to Wolfram when the latter was a boy himself.

Now to see if that friendship would still hold strong after what he was about to reveal.

"Come in, John." Wolfram said as he gently ran his fingers over Gabriel's hair to try and keep him calm.

"What's going on, Wolfram?" John asked as he sat down on the opposite bench. When around others, it was always "Sir Pershan" and "Lord Cronqvist", but that was not the case when it was just the two of them. They had been friends too long for that.

"I'm sure you've heard of Gabriel Belmont?" Wolfram replied as he gestured towards the person in question.

John's gray eyes eyes immediately moved from Wolfram's face to look upon Gabriel. "I was told that he died."

Wolfram snorted in derision. "That's what Cardinal Volpe wants people to believe. No, he lived, and took refuge in Bernhard Castle."

John's eyes swung back over to Wolfram. "You went there? Alone? Damn it, Wolfram, you know the rumors about that place!"

"Rumors that are very true, Edeline and I found out, but that's not important right now. We found Gabriel alive inside, and we were not going to leave him there."

"So is it true then? Gabriel is our little master?"

Wolfram said nothing in reply. Instead he only coaxed Gabriel into sitting up so John could see them sitting side by side. Even with much of the color from his recent feeding already fading from his skin, his red eyes, and his hair which looked black in low light, the resemblance between the two of them was obvious.

John gave a low whistle. "So it is true." He gave Gabriel another look. "His eyes are red."

Wolfram gently, so not to upset him, peeled Gabriel's upper lip back, so his fangs were clearly visible, which caused John's eyes to widen slightly.

"I see now why you wanted to meet me out here." he said after a moment. "I thought they were all dead."

"As far as I can tell, he's the only one left. If there are others, we did not see them. I do know how he came to be like this, but here is the interesting part." He pulled the silver crucifix out from under Gabriel's neck, which prompted another widening of John's eyes.

"So it looks as though the rumors of him being God's Chosen are also true." he said calmly.

"Indeed. Edeline and I have no intention of hiding him." he said and put an arm around Gabriel's shoulders when the latter leaned against him. "He's been in this state since we left the castle, though it's clear to me what he lived through there drove him mad. He has moments where he cries and screams at things only he can see, and he does have nightmares. For that reason, he needs his parents close to him, so we're not stashing him down in the dungeons."

"What do you need from me?"

"I need you and your men to move everyone into the hall for a family meeting. I mean everyone, even the servants. I don't care what they are doing, I want them in that hall within an hour."

"What do you intend to do?"

"We can't hide what Gabriel has become, so I intend to be truthful. Tell them that yes, he's a vampire, but he got that way by doing His work, and that as long as he's kept fed, he's docile." No need to mention what he had done to those highwaymen, at least not now. Gabriel had been threatened by those men, but Wolfram knew that excuse wouldn't work for some.

"Are you sure it will work?"

"What other choice do I have? Gabriel will not recover from what he suffered if he's kept locked away under the house."

"You're not telling me everything."

"You're right, I'm not, but I will later. You, at least, need to know everything that Edeline and I saw while we were at that God forsaken place, but for now I want to get Gabriel inside and get him settled in before the Brotherhood realizes he's no longer there."

John nodded once. "I'll get my men right on it. Are you going to stay out here until everyone is ready?"

"I am. I'm not taking Gabriel into the house until everyone is out of the way."

"I'll get my second on to moving everyone into the hall, and then I'll come back out here to make sure you're not disturbed."

"I appreciate it, John."

"You can pay me back by telling me a damn good story later. I'm sure it will be interesting."

"Oh it will be."

With that, John climbed out of the carriage and shut the door behind him, leaving Wolfram alone with Gabriel.

Gabriel mumbled something in his sleep again, and Wolfram reached out and raked his fingers gently through his hair to soothe him.

"Go back to sleep, Gabriel." he whispered. "I'm here with you."

Gabriel buried his face in his pillow, and his left head came out from under the quilt and seized a hold of Wolfram's as he went to pull it away. Even in sleep, his grip was surprisingly strong, and he held his father's hand close to him as he settled back down. Wolfram smiled faintly at the sight and feel of Gabriel holding onto him.

Announcing Gabriel to the rest of the house didn't seem like such a good idea all of a sudden, Wolfram thought as he carried his son through the empty halls. He still believed that it was the best option for Gabriel's sake, but he knew he was about to unleash a storm upon them, and he was no longer certain that they would survive it. Some relatives, the ones that had quietly celebrated when Gabriel had vanished from his cradle, would no doubt be furious.

They quickly bathed him, combed his hair, and dressed him as befitting his new station. It wouldn't do for him to meet his family wearing just an under tunic after all. Gabriel was calm and passive through it all, but when they approached the hall, the sounds of so many voices murmuring to each other seemed to bother him. He grabbed onto Wolfram with both hands and whimpered quietly as he squeezed his eyes shut.

"These aren't the voices that tormented you, Gabriel." Wolfram said gently, grateful that he hadn't sunk his claws in. "These people are family. They aren't going to hurt you." Not all of them anyway, he added silently. Gabriel turned his head and hid his face in Wolfram's hair, and he had to stand there for a few minutes soothing him before they could continue.

"Pershan." Wolfram ordered as they stopped in front of the double doors that led into the hall. "If things go wrong, grab Gabriel and get him out of here. That is an order."

"Yes, my lord. Are you ready?"

Wolfram looked at Edeline, who nodded, and then he turned back to look at John. "Let's get it over with."

John opened the doors, and then he preceded them into the hall, with one of his men walking behind them. A wave of silence swept through the room, starting from the back by the doors and moving forward, as Wolfram and Edeline walked up the isle, with Gabriel shuffling along between them. A few seconds later, the whispers started.

"Who is that?"

"I've never seen him before."

"He looks like Wolfram, doesn't he?"

"Could that be...?"

"But he's dead!"

"They never found a body, and there was no ransom."

Wolfram ignored the whispers as he walked up to the dais at the far end of the room, and he kept one arm around Gabriel's trembling shoulders as they went. He could hear Edeline whispering something to him, and she kept one arm around his waist as they climbed up the few steps to stand on the dais They turned to face the crowd, and he hoped that all the stares wouldn't upset Gabriel; they needed him to stay calm.

The room went silent again, though there was a whispered "Oh my God!" from someone in the back.

"I'm sure you're all aware of the story of Gabriel Belmont." he said, and there was a collective nod from everyone, family and staff alike. "This is him standing here beside me, and I'm sure you've noticed by now the resemblance between him and me. Weeks ago, I had a meeting with the staff that were here the night that my son was stolen from us, and they all described the same things about the men that invaded the house that day, and I realized after meeting Cardinal Volpe from the Brotherhood of Light just who had taken Mathias all those years ago."

"Did you confront them?" came a angry voice from his nephew Adelar, who was the oldest son of Wolfram's younger brother, Cordrin. He was also the next to inherit if Wolfram died without an heir.

"Not yet."

"Why in the hell not? If they had stolen my son, I would have torn their compound down around their heads! They all would have hung!"

"And you would have brought the family down with you!" Wolfram snapped, and he lowered his voice as Gabriel flinched beside him. "The Brotherhood saved our lives last fall, and everyone knows it. Attacking them is a fool's errand that would have had everyone else out for our blood. They will be dealt with, but not now. I had more important things to deal with first.

"Apparently, there are rumors swirling on Lord Rosier's land that Gabriel was an unwanted bastard child of this family. You can imagine after hearing that, and after learning that it was likely the Brotherhood that had taken my son, that I had to investigate. In the guise of visiting their compound, Lady Cronqvist and I searched for Gabriel there, but Cardinal Volpe told us that he had died." He paused as every eye in the room looked over at Gabriel. "As you can see, that is obviously not true."

What followed was an edited tale of of their race to rescue Gabriel before the Brotherhood caught onto them. He mentioned the mirror, but he did not tell them of Gabriel's mind controlled murder of that young girl and of his own wife. He did mention that Gabriel had indeed destroyed the Lords of Shadow and then had sent Satan back to Hell. He also told of Gabriel's son, currently in the custody of the Brotherhood, though he intended to correct that soon. He also confirmed that the rumors about Bernhard Castle were very true, but said that it had collapsed in on itself not long after their escape. He did not mention the voices.

"As you can clearly see, Gabriel and I resemble each other a great deal, so it is safe to say that Gabriel Belmont and Mathias Cronqvist are one and the same. Gabriel will be remaining here with his family while he recovers from his ordeal, and I want to make things clear. No one is to bother him. Do not question him, do not harass him. Leave him in peace so he can heal. My wife and I will be caring for him until he his able to do so for himself."

Trust Adelar to stir up trouble again. "Why are his eyes red?"

This is it, Wolfram thought. "Because he is a vampire." he said, and his words rang out clearly in the suddenly silent room. He pulled Gabriel closer to him and waited for the explosion.

"What!"

"Are you out of your mind!"

"You brought a vampire into our house!"

"He's going to kill us all!"

"He's cursed!"

"He's going to bring a plague down on us!"

Cordrin leapt up from his chair, and he ran down the isle towards them, brandishing a cross. Since it wasn't a weapon, Wolfram nodded for John to stand down, and instead he only held Gabriel tight as Cordrin ran up the steps and threw the cross in Gabriel's face.

Gabriel cried out in surprise as the metal was pressed against his cheek, but he did not try to get away, and he showed no signs that it was hurting him in any way. Cordrin stumbled back in shock, and the entire room gasped to see no mark on Gabriel's face. Edeline reached over and pulled the silver crucifix out of Gabriel's tunic so it was in plain sight, and everyone seemed to stare at it.

"Gabriel became a vampire while doing His work." Wolfram said calmly as Cordrin stumbled down the steps and fell into a seat. "Do you really think that a human could defeat Satan?" It wasn't quite the truth, but Wolfram had no intention of mentioning the demon that Gabriel had fought, ever. "My son became a vampire to save all of us, to fulfill the mission that the Lord had set out for him, and instead of being grateful, you attack him!" He glared down at Cordrin, who was still staring at Gabriel in disbelief.

The family priest, a middle aged man who went by Father Caleb, stood and approached the dais. Wolfram waved him up, and he walked up to stand in front of Gabriel, who looked back at him with dull eyes. He whispered something to him, a blessing apparently, because he then made the sign of the cross over him.

"Welcome home, God's Chosen." he said, and then he stepped down off the dais.

Of course, Adelar wasn't happy with that. "How will you feed him? Or do you expect us to line up and bare our necks for him?"

"Gabriel will be fed from the butcher's. If you are so frightened of him, Adelar, just avoid him. If you antagonist him until he bites you, it will be you I hold responsible, not him." He raked his gaze across the rest of the room. "That goes for the rest of you too. Leave Gabriel alone, let him rest, let him heal. It's the best way to thank the one that saved all of our souls. Furthermore, no one is to mention his presence here to anyone. I don't want to hear any whispers about him being here, and I most certainly do not want to hear anything about us having a vampire in our midst." He looked across everyone with a steely look. "Anyone that disobey's this will be... dealt with... harshly. Am I clear?"

There were nods from all corners, even from Cordrin and Adelar, and Wolfram nodded curtly in satisfaction. He then walked Gabriel down the dais and out of the room.

That had been four days ago, and to his surprise, the family and servants had taken Gabriel's presence fairly easily. There were some grumblings here and there, with the loudest being from Cordrin and Adelar, but they never said anything to Wolfram or Edeline directly about it, and they avoided Gabriel completely. Still to be on the safe side, Wolfram had ordered John to pick four of his best men and have them guard Gabriel wherever he was at around the clock on a rotating schedule. If he was in bed, they stood guard outside his door. If he was with Wolfram or his mother, they stood guard nearby. Gabriel was to never be without his protection, though the necessity of it saddened Wolfram a great deal. He rescued his son from those that had taken him, and now he had to protect him from his own family.

Behind him, the door quietly opened, and Edeline came in, carrying Trevor in her arms again. The child was awake and looking around with curious green eyes, and he had been bathed and dressed in clean clothes.

"Gampapa," he said with a smile when he saw Wolfram sitting there, and Wolfram returned the smile as Edeline sat down in the other chair with Trevor on her lap. The child looked at her. "Gam-ma"

"Oh little one." Edeline said with an amused smile, and then she looked up at Wolfram. "Do you want to introduce them tonight?"

"Perhaps, if Gabriel wakes up and if he's not upset. I don't want him meeting his son while he's agitated"

Trevor pointed to Gabriel. "Who dat?"

Wolfram shook his head with a sigh, and since he was closer to Gabriel, he held his hands out to Trevor and pulled the child out of Edeline's arm and onto his lap. He then reached and softly ran his hands down Gabriel's hair.

"Trevor," he said gently. "This is your papa."

Trevor looked up at him. "Papa?" he asked in puzzlement, and Wolfram realized that he likely had no idea what that word meant.

"Yes, your papa."

Trevor looked over at Gabriel, who had stirred at the touch against his hair. "Papa..." He clapped his hands together in glee at the new word. "Papa!"

Gabriel shifted in bed, and his eyes cracked open ever so slightly, as Trevor wiggled to be put down. Wolfram let go of him, and he toddled over to the bed and climbed up on it. Edeline reached out to grab him, but Wolfram held out his hand to stop her.

"Let's see what he does first." he said, and Edeline looked at him, unsure. "Any sign of aggression and I'll grab him." She nodded hesitantly and leaned back in her chair, but her eyes never left Gabriel as he began to wake up.

Family: 9 -- Family: 11
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