Hopefully, A Better World (A Castlevania Season 3 and 4 Fanfiction)

Chapter 5: To The Castle

Greta, Alucard, Saint Germain and I walked under the cover of night with all the remaining people from Danesti, as well as the refugees that had come our way from the other towns, with only a few torches to light our way. Even though Alucard hated it, we were taking the refugees to the castle. 

'Surely it would have been safer to do this during daylight,' Greta said softly, walking next to Alucard. 

'We would have been expected to do this during daylight,' Alucard replied. 'We may call them night creatures, but they operate perfectly when in sunshine.' 

'But surely the vampires who command them are disadvantaged by daylight,' Saint Germain mused. 

'Their night creatures are clearly being instructed. The attacks are too targeted,' I said. 

'So we're moving before they can get fresh orders,' Greta added. 

'We live in hope, yes,' Alucard replied.

'And our chances of making it to your castle before we're spotted, and those fresh orders are given?' 

'Oh, somewhere between slim and none, I'd imagine,' Saint Germain chimed in. 

'When I want to hear from you,' Greta snapped, 'I'll throw a coin in your begging bowl.' He withdrew, and Greta sighed. 'All this and a magical tramp.'

'Magical?' Alucard inquired. 

'I've lived out here my whole life. We live next to the spirits of wood and stream, the things that come with the storm and the smell of magic. You both smell of it,' she said, looking at both Alucard and I. 'He reeks of it.'

'What does it smell like to you?' I asked. 

'On you two, it's sweet, like spices. On him, it's rotten.' 

'Yes -' Saint Germain called out, 'yes - it's rendered me quite deaf. I am but a scholar, madam. The scents you detect are entirely down to Alucard and Alyx having recently used soap and my having to fight your chickens for access to pond water.'

'And losing,' Greta snarked. I let out a chuckle. 

'And indeed losing. I am a man of books. Your earthy peasant ways are quite beyond me. My skills lie in other directions.' 

'Pity. I was hoping you were good with a knife,' Greta snarked again. She turned to Alucard and me. 'I'm going to circle around and make sure we don't have stragglers.' She moved away from us, and I sidled up to Alucard. His golden eyes slid over to me, and he gave me a soft smile, my heart fluttering in my chest at the gesture. 

'Just a scholar, then?' Alucard called out, and Saint Germain sidled up to us next. 

'Well, and very good at inventing drinks.'

'I used to know someone who would have liked that about you,' Alucard remarked drily. 

'I used to know someone who liked that about me,' Saint Germain replied, tilting his face upwards. 'I hope to see her again soon.'

'I hope you do. That sounds comforting.' 

'Oh, yes. Thank you.' A twig snapped and Alucard paused. 'Keep walking,' he said to Saint Germain and the group. I fell back to be with him, my hand instantly going to my sword. When the group had passed by, he grabbed me and we vamp sped in a flash of red light to a tree branch, looking up warily at the spiderwebs littering the trees. Inside the largest web was a severed head, covered in bits of web with flies buzzing about. Then, we saw it. A large monster with a spiderlike body and a humanoid head, with gigantic teeth. We fought, dancing around the creature, jumping on trees. My body and mind slipped into that fighter's way, the way of a Belmont who had killed monsters for ages. My sword slashed with deadly precision, making my way in a deadly dance around Alucard and his sword. 

Along the trip to Alucard's castle in the dead of night, we encountered more of the night creatures, and Alucard, Greta and I courageously fought them off, with the villagers joining in every now and again. And in the lull when we weren't fighting, Alucard would tell stories. Hell, he would even laugh. I walked behind him and Greta most often as they swapped stories, and my jealousy simmered beneath the surface, hearing him laugh in front of Greta, smile, even. 

The sun was just bathing the world in its golden glow when we arrived in the large plain field that beheld Dracula's castle - and the Belmont Hold. We all stopped to take it in. 

'Dracula's castle,' Saint Germain breathed, staring up at the massive structure. 'Astonishing. It's really quite -' 

'Ugly as sin,' Greta remarked. 

'It's not ugly,' Alucard retorted. 

'It's ugly. And it's sad. And it's cold. Bad things happened here.'

'That's my childhood home you're talking about,' Alucard replied with a frosty glare her way. 

'Well, that explains a lot.' Upon seeing Alucard's face, she backtracked. 'Sorry. Some places just have a chill on them. Maybe my people and I can warm it up a little.'

'It's magnificent,' Saint Germain remarked in awe. 'And there! The Belmont Hold, I believe. This, my dear lady, may be the most important place in the modern world.'

'At this moment, it is the best defence I can think of,' Alucard said. He bowed and outstretched his arm. 'Welcome to my home.'