Belmont Twins (OC x Alucard)

6

Time passed at a withering pace yet Elizabeth remained outside like a silent, vigilant sentinel. Her eyes were glued to the horizon, unblinking, hoping for a glimpse of her brother in the distance. The sun had already set behind the line of buildings ahead, and the cold chill of night had taken to the wind. After feeling a shudder trickle down her spine, she pulled her cape around her body a little tighter.

Being inside made her agitated, as did the Speakers. They had tried to coax her in with bread and water, as one might try to coax a stray dog in with food. She politely refused them many times, before growing angry at their pestering. When she finally showed her teeth and growled at them, the elder called them off and allowed her some peace.

Where are you, brother? She asked herself. She had become so used to her brother always being around, that she felt immense loneliness without him there to annoy her or pick fights. A small, nagging voice at the back of her mind also feared he wouldn't come back.

She heard him before she saw him, his deep voice echoing off the brickwork. Springing to attention, her eyes frantically scanned the dusty outskirts. The sudden, high-pitched reply of a woman's voice took her by surprise, and a quizzical look took over her face.

Trevor sauntered out from behind one of the buildings, grinning at Elizabeth. "See?" He swatted his arm in the air to emphasise his sarcastic tone. "I told you I would be back in no time."

A panicked expression quickly replaced the self-satisfied look as she sprinted towards him, toppling him over with the force of her impact. "You absolute arsehole! I was worried sick!" His chest muffled her voice. It warmed her heart to see him alive, truly, but the sight of his blasé attitude infuriated her. How dare he smile as if she hadn't sat here by herself, fearing the worst?

"Everything was fine, see? All 12 fingers and toes," Elizabeth's mouth opened to reply, but closed when she felt the grey-coloured mud coating the bottom of his cloak. It was rock solid and reeked of sulphur. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Complicated," he informed her, pushing her off of him.

A tall, charming woman stepped out from the shadows. The same sulphuric stench clung to her tattered robes. The pair looked as though they'd been rolling around in the same disgusting muck together. It was either a nasty run-in with a cyclops, or Trevor's unfortunate charm had actually worked on someone. The thought of that made her recoil in disgust.

"Elizabeth Belmont," she said warmly, curtsying low with a kind smile on her face. "I do hope my brother has behaved himself."

The Speaker seemed genuinely shocked at the act, but responded in kind by placing her arm across her chest and bowing. "Sypha Belnades. I wish your brother had as nicer manners as you." Her accent was abrupt and disarming, but Elizabeth found herself quite taken with it.

Inside the shelter, Sypha quickly ran into the arms of her grandfather. They shared a tender embrace, before the elder thanked Trevor for returning her. Trevor merely shrugged in reply. Elizabeth elbowed him hard.

"I'm so sorry, Grandfather," Sypha said. Her voice trembled with sadness as she held onto his arms tightly. "I failed to find the Sleeping Soldier. I'm sorry," she said again, her eyes pleading with him for forgiveness.

The elder merely hushed her and soothed her, "Hush now, my angel," he whispered softly.

Trevor made an annoyed noise deep in his throat, interrupting the intimate moment between the two of them. "I very much doubt there is anyone down there," he said in a clipped voice. His eyes focused on the floor. "It's probably just a booby-trapped legend. Someone is wriggling with pleasure in his coffin right now, thinking of people like your girl walking into the cyclops he left down there." Elizabeth let out a relieved sigh.

Sypha made a face, scrunching up her nose and mouth. Elizabeth had often made that same face whenever Trevor started talking, but this time, she found herself in agreement with him. Many legends, such as this one, were created in order to attract thieves and robbers to their gruesome death by means of deadly traps or venomous inhabitants.

"Or maybe there is something down there so important that monsters must guard it." Sypha argued, stepping closer to Trevor and getting ready for a fight.

"Your so-called Messiah isn't down there," he retorted hotly.

"And what makes you so sure?"

Trevor sighed deeply, making sure to maintain steady eye contact. "You Speakers carry information down through generations. We Belmonts pass things down as well. Do you remember what we saw down there?"

"Trevor, what are you on about?" Elizabeth asked. Someone needed to step in between them, their gazes getting a little too heated for comfort.

"Metal veins pumping hot liquid? Torches that light by themselves? These things exactly fit descriptions written by our great-grandfather..."

"...Descriptions of Dracula's castle," Elizabeth finished, her jaw hanging open in disbelief.

"I don't know what's down there, but it's not your messiah."

It couldn't have actually been Dracula's castle. His forces were deployed all over the land, it was impossible. There was no way that her stumbling idiot of a brother could have gotten in and out of Dracula's castle - a castle that countless generations had died trying to find - with only an encounter of the one-eyed kind. The concept was unsettling, but what was worse was the idea that someone - or something - had the same technology as Dracula, and was slumbering just beneath their feet.

The choice was now much simpler, leave or await whatever dwelt below. Trevor had the same thought, already shuffling out the door, having completed his end of the bargain. "Your missing child is returned, you promised you'd leave," he reminded the elder from the doorway. The speakers remained silent.

"You can't stay here." It was their only choice. Whether it was the priests and pitchforks, the night horde, or the beast below, something was coming for them. "You'll leave tonight? Won't you?" Elizabeth didn't trust them to keep their word. They weren't dishonest people, but something was still off, nagging at her.

The elder fumbled through his response, "Yes of course..."

"We'll return tonight then," she stated, snatching up her cloak as she and her brother left the hovel.

Once they were out of earshot and out of view, Trevor quickly pulled her aside. "They're not leaving, are they?"

Elizabeth shook her head and said, "No, I don't think so."

"Bollocks." The shit pipe plan was looking more attractive now. It would've felt good to see their lovely blue robes streaked with sewage after all this legwork. "Can you stay with them for me, please? Give me an hour or two-" Being abandoned once was hurtful enough, but being abandoned a second time was too close to it becoming a habit.

"Do you think of me as nothing more than a glorified guard dog that you can just order around?" she snapped, clearly offended by the request. The question was valid, and it deserved a better answer than the fed up look she was getting.

"Look, it's been a long bloody day. All I want to do is find a pub and pint before I have to argue with Speakers about leaving this place. I don't want to deal with angry villagers who wouldn't know God if he punched them in the face. So for once, can you just help me so we can save the day and get it right? Just once. Please." He looked so terribly tired, the bags under his eyes darker than before. It was as if all the fight had left him in that one moment, and she didn't know how to respond.

"I'll stay with the Speakers," she said, sounding defeated. "I'm sorry". All the words had been said, and Trevor looked too exhausted to give her any real answers. Instead, he just turned away and strode off. She had no choice but to trust him blindly and hope that he had a plan.