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AMoS Chapter 6-3
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 6 covers from Liron's funeral to just after Belmont's Revenge.
3.
Dracula Reborn
In 1574, 51 year old Adrian retired and handed things down to Christopher. Christopher and Simona still had not managed to conceive a child, and he was under increasing pressure to annul his eight year marriage and find someone else. Only his status as Lord Belmont prevented them from pushing too hard. The two of them were seriously considering adoption, even as neighboring lords whispered about Lord Belmont's barren wife.
Christopher was furious when those rumors reached his ears, but there was little he could do about them but rant.
"How dare they!" he snarled as he paced back and forth in front of the study fireplace. I was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the desk, and Simona was out visiting with Bridget. (No doubt hearing embarrassing stories about her husband and father-in-law as children.)
"They're just words, Christopher." I said in an attempt to calm him, but it only fired him up even further.
He spun around to face me. "Words! Words, Uncle Joachim! They're saying that my wife is not worthy of bearing my name! All because we haven't been able to have a child yet!"
I stood up and took him firmly by the shoulders. "Christopher, enough! Calm yourself, child!" I shook him a little – oh fine, more than a little – and once the dizziness had faded from his eyes, he was much quieter. I pushed him down into the chair beside mine and shoved a mug of ale into his hand. "Here, drink that."
He downed it in one breath and slammed the mug to the top of the desk like he'd just won a drinking contest. "I feel better." he sighed.
"Good." I nodded. "Christopher, just ignore them. They can spread rumors and whisper to each other, but when things go to Hell, it will be you they come crawling to, whether or not you and Simona have had any little ones by then. Besides, the problem might not even lie with her; it may be you that can't conceive – changing wives won't fix that. Hell, both of you could have problems there, and there's nothing to do about it but hope you get lucky, so stop worrying. If you do have a son or daughter, I'll be the first one to join the celebration, but it won't change a thing if you don't."
Christopher sighed and slumped down in his chair. "I know, Uncle Joachim, but we just want a child so much it's almost painful. We keep trying and keep telling ourselves that this time we'll succeed, and we've about had all we can of disappointment."
"Perhaps you're trying too hard? Maybe you should just let things happen as they will. If you're meant to have a son or daughter, then you will." I reached over and ruffled his curly blond hair, and he smiled at me.
"What about you, Uncle Joachim?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What about me?"
His smile turned into a mischievous grin. "Any children in your future?"
"No, I have Hector, and that is enough." I thought of what Liron had said about someone staying, but I didn't mention that. I did wish then that I knew who it was, or at the very least when that person would appear. I should have thought to ask him that.
"You'd make a great father, Uncle Joachim. Maybe you should find that special someone and settle down."
Hadn't I had this conversation with Kerwin already? "That is not happening, Christopher."
"Why not? I've caught women admiring you; maybe you should approach some of them."
"Yes, I've seen them too, and bear in mind that most of them are Belmonts, and the ones that aren't don't know about my vampirism."
Christopher waved that off. "Bah! So you're a vampire; don't let that stop you."
I rolled my eyes. "I'm not interested, Christopher, so let's end this right now and never bring it up again."
Truth be told, I wasn't sure if I could fall I love that way. Though the bond had been forced on me, and it was stretched to near its breaking point with Walter being imprisoned in the Crimson Stone, it was still there, and if he had been alive, it would have kept me focused on him, irregardless of my feelings (or lack thereof) for him.
Joachim...
I slammed the remains of the bond closed and looked away from Christopher, shivering at the thought of being able to hear Walter when Dracula was not around. After a minute, I looked back at Christopher and changed the subject and tried to pretend that I hadn't heard anything.
******
Two years later, the the early fall of 1576, I woke as the sun began to set, so I stood up to dress before going to hunt. Hector sighed quietly when I moved away from him, and I pulled the blankets up to his chin and tucked them around his shoulders. He snuggled down into the mattress and went quiet, and I leaned over and kissed him on the side of his head before I began to dress.
There had been another council the previous year, and again, Actose had offered to trade me the blanket covered child for Hector. I had refused of course, but Hector had reacted to my refusal in ways I hadn't expected. Before then, he'd never shown any affection towards me. He reached out for comfort and loved being held, but all that was his benefit, not mine. Since the council however, he'd been bestowing random hugs, returned my goodnight kisses, and when he curled up on my lap and snuggled next to me on the couch, the feeling through the bond had changed. It was one I recognized, and I smiled faintly at him in the still dark room as I left to go hunt. What I had told Christopher had become very true; I didn't need to father a child, because I had Hector.
I hunted quickly and returned home as I felt Hector waking for the night. I walked into the bedroom as he reached for me, but before I could touch him, he froze, followed by a feeling of sickening terror from his end of the bond.
"Hector?"
He didn't answer. Instead his eyes only widened, his mouth opened. And then he screamed.
"Hector!" I snatched him out of bed. "Hector, what's the matter!"
He still didn't answer me; he only screamed, and then a second later, I felt the reason for his terror. Like it had 97 years ago, a wave of power so dark that it seemed to dim the lighting in the room rolled through the house. I was pushed into the wall, and only after it had passed did Hector stop screaming. I heard the Belmonts crying out in alarm and fright, and Hector wound his arms tightly around my neck and laid his head down, crying.
"He's back!" he sobbed. "He's back, he's back! Don't let him... don't let him take me! I'm scared, I'm scared, I'm scared!"
I moved over to the rocker and sat down. Hector curled up into a tight ball, still holding onto my neck, and cried as I rocked him. I raked sleep tousled hair back from his face. "Hector. Hector? Listen to me, little one." He looked up at me with red, swollen eyes. "Hector, you are on the Belmont lands, within the Belmont wards. He cannot get to you here, and that's if he knows you're still alive. No vampire from this area is going to get close enough to tell him, not even Actose. Do you understand me? He does not know you still live."
Hector nodded and laid his head back down, but the bond did not calm down, nor did he loosen his grip on my neck, even as I stood up from the chair, covered him with a blanket, and walked out of the house. The Belmonts were gathering in the hall, and I joined them there just before Christopher came in.
He was already dressed for travel.
Simona followed him, looking sick with worry, and took a seat near the front. Adrian and Elena sat down on either side of her. Though their scents and accelerated heartbeats told me that they were just as worried and nervous as Simona was, they hid it far better than she did. Christopher went up to the front, and once everyone had come in and found a seat, he raised his hands for quiet.
"I don't think that I need to explain what I have to do." he said once everyone had focused on him, and there were nods all around. "I will be departing as soon as we are done in here. While I am away I want everyone to stay within the wards unless it is absolutely necessary. If things outside become dangerous like they did before, and you have friends and other family that wish to shelter here, then they may. My father is in control while I am away." He sighed and looked down at the floor for a second, and then he looked back up. "Everyone, be safe. If God wills it, I will return after I see Dracula dead." He swept his blue eyes over the room, nodded once, and then he walked straight down the isle and out. Simona rushed after him, and I could hear them speaking to each other just outside the doors, and then Christopher walked off in the direction of the stable. Adrian and Elena then left the hall, and I heard their heartbeats go off in two different directions. Adrian followed Christopher, while Elena walked with Simona back to the Lord's house. The rest of the Belmonts filed out and returned to their homes, and I scurried over to the stables to catch Christopher before he left. He was still saddling his horse, so I made a fast detour to my house, where I sat Hector down in the living room (Despite his attempts to hang onto me.) and fetched a glass vial from the kitchen. Like I had for Trevor a century before, I filled it up with my blood and capped it with wax. I then returned to the stable as Christopher was riding out.
"Christopher!"
He halted his horse and looked back at me as I ran up to him. "Here," I said, handing him the vial, "for emergencies."
He looked at it for a moment, and then he smiled at me as he tucked it into a pocket. "Thank you, Uncle Joachim; hopefully I won't need this, but it's nice to have it just in case."
"Come home safe to us, Christopher." I took his head and squeezed it.
"I'll do my best." He returned the hand squeeze. "Take care of everyone for me."
"I will. Be careful."
"I will." He urged his horse on then, and again like I had with Trevor a century before, I followed him to the gate and watched him ride down the road until he was swallowed by the blackness of the night.
******
Thankfully, things did not get as near as dangerous as they had during Dracula's previous appearance. Monsters began to appear the night Christopher left, but their numbers were less than half of what they had been before. They were every bit as aggressive as they had been, but people heeded the tales told by their grandparents and stayed indoors after dark and kept their doors and windows firmly bolted. That resulted in far fewer deaths that the last time, though nothing could stop the slaughter of livestock. With no humans to attack, the monsters attacked any animal they could find. Despite his advancing age, Adrian went out hunting after dark, trying to protect our food sources, and I went with him. Without the Vampire Killer, he was still a very skilled hunter, but no weapon could match the whip's power. My swords, however, were more than enough to destroy any creature that Dracula sent.
Unfortunately, the increased vigilance on the part of the people made it hard for the vampires in the area to hunt. For most of us, skipping a meal was not a problem, but for me and Ladislas, not being able to feed our sickly children was a serious issue. I let Hector feed from me as normal, even when I really didn't have anything to give, even as my own thirst was screaming to be sated. I would weather being bled dry far better than he would.
In a last ditch attempt to prevent him from going without the blood that he needed so much, I finally resorted to hunting animals, but even they were hard to find. Between the miasma of evil that covered the land that made animals wary of leaving their dens, human hunters, and Dracula's minions, wildlife was in short supply. The fact that they avoided vampires on the prowl made things even harder. I caught what I could, but it still wasn't enough. I was giving Hector less than half of what he normally had, and he began to relapse.
I reached out to Silvanus, and he was able to come by once and feed Hector, but he was having the same difficulties as the rest of us. Since he was so old, he sat back and left the dwindling blood supply to the rest of us. Kerwin had Matatias to feed, so he had none to share, and Ladislas was having the same difficulty as I was. Hector was tired, weak, thirsty, cranky, and fussy, and I kept him asleep so to conserve what little blood I was able to give him, but even while asleep, he whimpered and cried as his thirst clawed at him. I often passed the night after hunting, walking back and forth across the living room floor while holding him in my arms. I can't explain how horrible I felt, knowing that my inability to find a meal was causing my child to suffer. Even while awake, he barely moved, and his cries were becoming weaker. His weakening health also affected Isaac and August, and they often stayed in one place for days on end.
Going without, I was assured by Silvanus, was unlikely to kill him, but it would undo all the healing he had managed to do over the past 36 years if it went on for too long.
"I'm thirsty, Joachim." he whimpered quietly as I sat in the rocker with him one night, 12 days after Christopher's departure. I had managed to bring down a deer earlier, but that was not enough to make up for days of not getting enough.
"I know, little one, I know." I whispered as I slowly rocked the chair. "Hopefully Dracula will fall, Christopher will return home, and everything will go back to normal." Hector made a distressed whine and squeezed his eyes shut, and I reached through the bond and willed him to sleep. I then stood up and put him to bed, before I left the house to try hunting again. It was dangerous even for me to be out with Dracula and his ilk on the loose, but I had to feed my little one.
******
A few more days passed as I struggled to keep Hector fed. I was giving him everything, and my own thirst was beginning to show itself in a slight trembling of my hands and a slight wobble in my legs, but I tried my best to keep it hidden from Hector. I didn't want him to feel guilty over it. I was especially grateful then that I hadn't taken the sickly child from Actose somehow. Caring for both of them would have been impossible. I wanted to curl up with Hector and sleep the days and nights away, but I continued to go out hunting with Adrian, and I prowled the ward line at night when Hector was asleep.
Fifteen days after Christopher's departure, I laid down to catch a quick cat nap to hopefully ease my shaking, and when I woke I reached out through the bond to check on Hector.
But there was nothing.
I leapt up from the couch and nearly knocked the bedroom door from its hinges as I rushed in to check on him. He was lying in the middle of the bed, curled up on his right side, with the quilt pulled up to his cheek and tucked around his neck and shoulders. I ripped it away and snatched him up, and he was limp in my arms as I shook him.
"Hector!"
There was no response. The bond was still and silent, and only its continued existence told me that he was still alive at all. He was cold, oh so cold, and I shook him again and sent a burst of power down the bond to try and wake him, but it seemed to bounce off of a solid wall. I crushed him to me and rocked him from side to side.
"Hector! Wake up! Please wake up! Hector, please!" I pressed our lips together to try and give him a blood kiss, but he had already drank what little I had to give earlier in the day, so I was only able to give him a few drops.
I felt alarm from Kerwin and Silvanus, and Silvanus asked what was wrong.
Hectorwon'twakeup!Ican'tfeelhim!He'sdying! I babbled through the bond, and I felt Silvanus recoil with horror as he reached through me to check on Hector. He then abruptly vanished from my range to detect him as Kerwin began to move towards me. I held Hector against my chest, and his head slumped down onto my shoulder as his arms dangled limp by his sides. I lightly bounced him like one would a fussy baby.
"Hector! Wake up!" There was nothing, and he seemed to grow even colder in my arms. "Don't you die on me, Hector! I can't live without you, little one. I love you! Stay with me!"
I was so distressed that I hadn't even noticed Kerwin crossing over into my territory, and I didn't notice he was there until he yanked my head over to his so he could smash our lips together. He didn't have much to give either, but what he did have poured into my mouth. I gulped it down, and as soon as he let go of me, I gave Hector another blood kiss.
I felt Silvanus appear close by then, and he ran into the house and did the same as Kerwin had done. He had a great deal more to give, and I drank and drank and drank, before he stepped away and ran out again. I forced the new blood down Hector's throat, and I broke the kiss with a relieved sob as I felt a flicker from the bond. I sent another burst of power down to him, and he stirred ever so slightly.
Silvanus returned then, and he took Hector out of my arms and forced more blood down Hector's throat, like he had for Matatias all those years ago. I felt the bond widen, and Hector whined very softly and began to wiggle around in Silvanus' arms. Silvanus didn't take his head away, and I felt Hector waking as he began to swallow what he was being given. He reached up with shaking arms and whined again as he tried to push Silvanus away from him. I reached through the bond and told him to stop that, and his arms dropped down, but he kept wiggling around until Silvanus finally pulled his mouth away and handed him back to me.
I collapsed down onto the edge of the bed and cradled him. "Hector?"
He whined and one tired blue eye peeped open and looked up at me. "Joachim?" he mumbled. "What happened? I don't feel good."
I didn't answer him. I crushed him to me and nearly cried with relief, which prompted him to whine at me again.
"Hush, Hector, just let me hold you for a little while." Kerwin and Silvanus took me by the shoulders and pulled me to my feet.
"You both need to lie down for a while. You're both exhausted." Silvanus said gently. "Come."
"I can't." I protested. "Adrian will be going hunting and without Christopher -"
Kerwin cut me off. "None of that will matter if you're too tired and thirsty to do anything. Lie down with Hector for a while; we'll keep watch for you."
I found myself laid down on my bed with Hector beside me, and suddenly I was just too tired to protest anymore. Hector tucked his head under my chin like normal, and I felt the quilt being pulled over us as I nodded off.
When I woke a few hours later, Hector was still asleep, and Silvanus was seated in the rocker. Kerwin was gone. I sat up and checked on Hector to ensure that he really was just asleep before I looked at Silvanus.
"I owe you both an apology." he whispered as he watched Hector sleep. "I should have expected for that to happen. Hector is too young and too frail to go on so little, and it never occurred to me to think that he was starving to death."
I shivered. "He's going to be all right though?"
"Yes, as long as he doesn't go without like that again."
I drew my knees up to my chest. "Where am I going to get the blood, Silvanus?"
"I raided Prince Alexadru's fortress for those sentenced to death. Doing so was risky, but I hope that they'll think that Dracula's minions were responsible. You can do the same, if you are careful."
I shuddered; Alexandru was a cruel man, far worse than his great-grandfather Vlad III had ever been. Even vampires feared him because of that. If I was seen in his fortress, he would tear the countryside apart looking for me, and if that failed, he would try to force the Belmonts into hunting me down. If they failed to do that... I shivered, suddenly feeling very cold. Vlad III had left the Belmonts alone – one of the few noble families he left untouched – but I had no doubt that Alexandru wouldn't extend the same courtesy.
Silvanus gave me an understanding look. "It's for Hector, Joachim, and the wards will not allow anyone that means harm to those within across."
I nodded. "It's for Hector." I said quietly. "Right."
I tried to keep that fact in mind as I prepared to leave for that night's hunt. Silvanus had gone home, and Hector was asleep again, and I was walking towards the door to leave when I was startled by a knock. I listened for a second, and the familiar sound of Adrian's heartbeat touched my ears. As I approached the door to open it, more heartbeats moved towards my house, and when I finally pulled the door open, I found not only Adrian, but Elena, Simona, Bridget, Ethan, Lucas, and a few others.
"May we come in, Uncle Joachim?" Adrian asked, and I mutely stepped aside and let them pass. They gathered in the living room, and Adrian smiled at me.
"We heard what happened." he said. "Is Hector all right?"
"He's fine." I replied. "Why are you here?"
Adrian stepped forward and offered his wrist to me. "You've done so much for this family, Uncle Joachim. For hundreds of years, you've protected us, loved us as your own, given us help when we needed it, and were there for those that needed you. Now you're struggling, and if this is what we can do to help, then we'll do it gladly."
I was stunned into silence, and my eyes jumped to his wrist and traced the large vein there. The back of my mouth burned and my fangs ached, and I forced myself to look away.
"I can't do that, Adrian."
I heard him step closer. "You can, and you will. I trust you to control yourself enough to not bleed me dry."
"Adrian..."
"It's for Hector." he said, and I looked at him. "If you won't do it for yourself, then do it for him." I turned my head back around to look at them, and they all gave me earnest smiles. I sighed in defeat; it was a far safer alternative than what I had been intending to do. They lined up in front of me, with Adrian first, and I looked into his eyes as I bit into his wrist.
I nearly moaned in relief when the hot spray of blood hit the back of my mouth, and I forced myself to take only a few swallows, before I licked the bite wounds to heal them. Adrian smiled at me again and stepped aside, and Elena came forward. I worked my way down the line until I reached Simona, and just as I was about to bite her, a soft sound fell on my ears. I paused, closed my mouth, and listened, and I smiled widely as I recognized what I was hearing.
"Uncle?" Simona looked at me in confusion, and I kissed the back of her hand.
"I cannot take your blood, my dear." I said, and she blinked. "I daresay the life that you are carrying needs it more." She stared at me for a second, and then the light dawned in her eyes. Behind me, Elena screamed in joy and threw herself at her daughter-in-law, and I stood back and smiled as the suddenly happy group returned home. I went in to feed Hector, and then I went back to the Lord's house to meet Adrian for the nightly hunt.
The following day, we received the joyous news, delivered by a crier like it had been a century before. Dracula's castle had crumbled, and the vampire lord was no more. There was a sigh of relief from the Belmonts, and then everyone turned out for a celebration.
Everyone that is, but Simona, Adrian, Elena, and myself. We stood by the gates, waiting for word on Christopher.
******
Twenty-one days after Christopher's departure, I was waiting at the gate as I had been since we'd received word about the destruction of the castle. With Dracula's defeat, the amount of monsters roaming the night had dropped down to nothing almost instantly, and what few remained were killed quickly. Hunting had become easier again, much to my relief, as I did not particularly care for feeding from the Belmonts. With a steady blood supply available, my thirst had quickly been settled, while Hector was slowly improving. Starving did not make him relapse as badly as I had feared it would. He was in bed, sleeping, and I expected him to sleep quite a bit for a few more days. Isaac and August kept a close watch over him while I was out of the house.
Simona wanted to wait with me, but the family doctor insisted she rest as much as possible. No one knew why she and Christopher had had such difficulty conceiving, but none of us wanted to risk her child now that she was carrying one. She was at home, being pampered (Some said "smothered" instead.) by her mother-in-law while I waited, and I had sworn to her that the instant I knew something about Christopher, then she would know as well.
I perked up when I heard a faint heartbeat that was some distance off, and I smiled a few minutes later when the breeze carried a familiar scent to me. I heard the horse's heartbeat as Christopher approached the gate, and I waved when he came into sight. He waved as well with a tired smile as he rode up to the gate, and he grimaced as he came closer. A cheer went up behind me, and I looked behind me to see the Belmonts turned out to welcome him home. Christopher gave them another wave as he came through the gate and rode towards the stable. The crowd surged to follow him, and I could almost hear his groan as he climbed down from the saddle. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd.
"Yes, Christopher is home, and we're all happy to see him." I said. "But as you can see, he's exhausted. Let the man go home, see his wife, and we can celebrate tomorrow."
There were a few grumbles, but Christopher waved them off, and slowly the crowd began to disperse. I walked up to Christopher and slipped an arm around his shoulders and walked him back to the house, trying not to wrinkle my nose at the scents of blood, dirt, and sweat that clung to him. We stepped into the Lord's house to find that Adrian, Elena, and Simona had been alerted by the cheer outside, and they were waiting for him in the living room.
Simona jumped to her feet and flew into his arms, and the room was all smiles as we watched, but then Elena cleared her throat.
"Simona dear," she said in a soothing tone, "perhaps you should sit back down and rest? After all, you are-"
Simona cut her off without looking away from her husband. "I am pregnant, not an invalid, and my husband just came home after a long absence! I will not be sitting back down!" Adrian laughed as his wife's flummoxed expression, and Christopher's eyes widened.
"Wait," He grabbed Simona by her arms and pushed her away so he could look into her face, "you're pregnant? Did you just say you're pregnant?" She nodded at him and smiled prettily, and Christopher swept her up into his arms and spun her around. "We're going to have a baby? We're going to have a baby!" Simona laughed at his joy, and he did the same as he set her on her feet and kissed her.
Dracula was dead, Hector was going to be all right, Christopher was home safe, and he and Simona would soon have a son or daughter to call their own.
Things were going to be fine.
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As much as I'm enjoying writing with Christopher (He needs more love in the CV community.) I'm really looking forward to Part 7 with Simon. Then the fun will REALLY begin. *evil grin*
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Have you seen the Dracul First for Figures figurines? They're gorgeous, but, they're $300. They don't even come fully assembled, and I've read mixed reviews about their stuff.
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Hey, tax season is coming soon... That is so beautiful. I have to commend them on their work. Wait, we don't have to paint them, do we? That would suck.
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Oooooh, you fence? Cool. I never was much interested in fencing myself - I preferred the no holds barred - off with their head! type of swordplay, but fencing is cool too. XD
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I do historical fencing in the SCA (living history). I use heavy rapier. Modern fencing looks very tame in comparison. When you see the big-guns fighting in particular, it gets pretty insane - it's fast, and it's actually quite brutal. :)
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