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

Chapter 9: It's Been a Strange Ride

Daytime shone in a new day, still bathed in blood, nonetheless. Next to a cracked tree split wide open, that used to be a familiar childhood tree, stood a small headstone, ornately decorated with the symbol of the cross - and the Belmont family insignia. All around, those that were left began to build a village. And far away on another hill, sat headstones and crosses, honouring the ones who had died in the evening attack. As children played all around the once foreboding castle, Greta and Alucard sat outside. 

'So what do you think about my plan?' she asked. 

'It was my plan,' he retorted. 

'You just think it was your plan.' 

'It was my plan.' 

'I let you think it was your plan.'

'I told you my plan.' 

'You just think you did,' she replied cheekily. 'I'm very clever. I told you my plan in a way that would make you think it was your idea.'

'It was my bloody idea.'

'Admit it, you're outmatched.' 

'I am no such thing, and also, it was all my idea.'

'You just go on thinking that,' she said cheerily. 'So you agree, then?'

'Agree to what?'

'My plan. We're going to stay.'

'Oh, my God.' 

'I'm a genius. Just surrender.'

'Ignoring for a moment that you are considerably more insane than I previously estimated. Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean, I'm not... used to people.' 

'They're used to you. So just let them be used to you. And you'll get used to them.'

'I think I felt part of my brain die trying to follow that logic.' 

'It's human,' she said softly. 'Just roll with it.'

'I'm not. Human, I mean. Not completely.' 

'Don't think I haven't noticed you playing with the orphaned kids,' Greta replied. 'And don't think I don't know some of them have been calling you "father".' He stiffened for a second. 

'I - I didn't want to disappoint them by saying anything,' Alucard said softly. She took Alucard's arm gently. 

'Very human of you. You, Alucard, are a very odd person. I think I might like you.' The two of them gave a soft smile to each other, then Greta spoke again. 'Alucard, she's up.' He turned, beginning to walk towards her, but Greta gripped her hand. 'Be gentle. She hasn't talked to anyone except Alyx in two weeks now.' He gave her a nod and walked towards Sypha, who was descending the steps of the castle with a pack slung over her shoulder. 

'Sypha,' he said softly. She turned to him. 

'Hello,' she replied shyly. 'Can you spare a horse?' 

'Possibly. What for?' 

'I am going to do what Trevor and I originally planned to do. Rejoin my caravan.' 

'You know you are very welcome here.'

'Thank you,' she said, pausing in her steps. 'But I am also very definitely pregnant.' 

'Oh.' 

'And I should be with my people. And my people are well practiced in giving the support a woman needs when it's time. If I could just get a horse.' Alucard stammered for a moment, and finally let out a breathy, 

'Congratulations.' 

'Go on,' she said with a soft chuckle. 'Say it like the way you said it to Trevor when we arrived at the Hold.' 

'Should I not be congratulating?' he asked, taking a cautious step towards the magician. 

'Congratulations,' she said, putting on an exaggerated impression of his voice. He let out a breathy chuckle. 

'Well, I've heard worse impressions.'

'It's fine,' she said, the grief thick in her voice. 'He loved me. We made a child. Something new and wonderful will have come from all this. I should go.' She went to walk away, but Alucard grasped her hand. 

'You should stay.'

'That's very kind of you. But I should be around more people. I can't let you be the one person I rely on for help, let alone Alyx, and a child should have a community.'

'It will. If you stay.'

'I don't understand.'

'These people aren't going back to Danesti. We're going to found a new village here, around the castle and the Hold.'

'This place has resources I could never give my people in Danesti,' Greta said, walking up to the two of them. 'We could change everything here.' Alucard turned to face Sypha fully, grasping her hand. 

'We're going to have schools, one of which will be all about the libraries of the castle and the Hold.'

'And I was hoping you could help me teach this brilliant but actually fairly useless man how to live his life.'

'Don't set your hopes too high,' Sypha replied, her eyes filling with tears. 

'Sypha,' Greta said, 'we have a real chance to make life better for our children than it was for us. For once, it could be better. For all our children.' Sypha sighed in resignation. 

'She's good,' the magician replied. 

'I know,' Alucard said, looking down at Greta. 

'Between her and Alyx, you're in real trouble,' Sypha replied with a cheeky smile. 'What are you going to call the village? New Danesti?' 

'I thought we might call it Belmont.' Her smile faded and her head lowered in sadness. 'That should confuse everybody.' Alucard held her hand tighter in a warm, secure grip. She lifted her head, looking around the makings of the village. 

'I think I'd like to live in a place called Belmont,' she said, her smile slightly returning to greet her eyes. 'Also, my God, these people are bad at organization.' She dropped her pack to the grass. 'And are you really going to walk buckets back and forth from the river all day? I thought you were a man of science. The lane's going to need widening over there too.' She looked far away from them for a moment. 'Whose horse is that?' 

'What horse?' 

'Walking down the lane. Tie your horses up, Alucard. If you're founding a village, you need to sort these things out,' Sypha chided. 

'I know that horse,' Alucard said softly. 'But... someone's on it.' The two met up with the horse, and Sypha grabbed the hooded stranger. As she caught the stranger in her arms with ease, she looked down at him as the hood fell away. 

'Trevor?' a choked voice said, and I came through the trees, having recently visited Trevor's small headstone memorial near the childhood playing tree. Thick, heavy sobs fell down my face as I stumbled towards the body. Trevor groaned and awoke. 

'Hello, love,' he said, peering up into Sypha's face.