Dracula Retold

A New Legend

By the time 5 years went by, Vlad V had adjusted to his life in the forest. His tutors foolishly prided themselves, crediting the prince's grown expertise as a result of their hard work. Little did they know that everything that Vlad V had mastered, was all his own credit, with a little guidance from Vlad III. His agility and acquired skills put to shame two generations of the Dracul House- of course, not even the devil himself could reach the fame Vlad III had earned.

Nonetheless, Vlad V was a credit to his name; with the mastery of all kinds of combat, and expertise in world knowledge. Vlad fought his soldiers for game, and still sent them limping back to the castle, where they reported to Lupei. The regent held little concern for the prince, as since he had learned of the Vlad's fragile stature, nothing else mattered. Not his assassin skills, nor his views on politics, since Vlad V wouldn't live long enough to rule; whether by nature or by accident.

In the years that had passed, Lupei let the nations rule themselves; not out of the benevolence of his heart, but because he wanted to wait till all the nations were conquered so he could force them all together to bend to his command. He prided himself in his smarts and strategies, that is till he heard of the Prince's plans to return.

"NO!" Lupei's screams echoed in the half empty court as he threw a tantrum. "I will not have it that he return! Wallachia is mine! And soon shall all of Romania be!"

"But sire, you cannot prevent what must come! The people will question."

"Then we must hasten our plans! Kill all who rebel!"

"We are not ready, your grace. If we attack now, we stand to lose!"

"We must not lose! All my hard work, all the sacrifices I have made, I deserve to get what should rightfully be mine! Think Pietre! What can we do to insure our victory?" Lupei stormed around the castle in his rampage, and soon found himself standing at the doors of the forbidden hallways.

"Well," he chuckled, easing his worry. "What can we do to keep what's ours, in the house of Dracula?" The evil smirk on his face made his henchman worry.

"W-what do you conspire, my lord?" Pietre dared to walk closer even as his legs trembled on his own weight.

"Why, a deal with the devil, of course!" Lupei grabbed him by the shoulder and rattled his soul out of him.

"S-sir! But certainly yo-"

"Enough, Pietre! Go, my friend," he dulled his voice to a motherly tone. "Go, fetch the keeper and bring me the keys!"

Pietre stared in horror as if the devil himself had climbed into his already evil master. Lupei laughed and danced merry, gloating at his smarts.

"Do this, for me, Pietre. And I will see to it that your name is only second to mine in all of Romania! We shall live like kings!" Lupei's laugh still echoed in the castle as Pietre ran as far as he could, as far away from the forbidden halls.

The keeper tried every key on the ring, looking for the true key among the duplicates. At sword point, of course. No one in their right mind would unlock the devil's rooms for fun. Soon as the door was unlocked, the keeper ran all the way to the other side of the castle. Lupei stormed in like a conquistador, prideful of his accomplishment.

The hall was dark; unlit and undisturbed. He sent Pietre out to fetch a fire torch, and himself walked in the dark guided by the dust covered walls. Pietre returned with a torch, lighting the hall. At the end of it was a wooden door, chained from corner to corner, forbidding anyone from entering. Lupei ripped off a decorative ax from the wall and hacked away at the binds, till there were tiny metal links flying everywhere, and none holding the door shut.

The sacred room used to be part of a church in the time of Vlad III. The remains of an altar with downsized candles stood in front center of the rickety old pews, spider webs filled in the gaps. It was in this room that Vlad Dracula learned of the monster of Broken Tooth mountain. This room contained the recipe on how to be a monster. The men dusted and ripped apart every book they found, none of them the one Lupei needed.

Angered by his apparent failure, the reagent flipped a table so far it crashed onto a pew, making it reveal its treasures. Lupei looked on like a child waited for dessert, and fell to his knees among the trinkets. He made Pietre tear down all the benches; the more they broke, the more they found.

It took a while to sort through the junk and the phonies, but they found the book, and some necessary ingredients to replicate what Vlad III had done years ago. They lacked the one thing they needed most: the blood of the monster on Broken Tooth mountain.

"You couldn't gather the army to go up Broken Tooth!" Pietre protested, validly.

"I'll give them an incentive; a bribe. The few who'd go up, with you, Pietre, as their general. I'll make them my elite force. My secret police. Hunt down our most loyal men, Pietre. Or at least, find the low lifes we can buy."

By break of dawn, Pietre led out a troop heading to Broken Tooth mountain. The clan thinned by the first shadows of the night, and not even ten men remained. The men built a fire, and a dome over it to limit the smoke, and huddled to discuss their next plan of action.

"Who's he gonna know if we got the monster's blood or a fox's?"

"Yeah! Ain't gon be me telling him."

They all looked at Pietre, who was standing by a tree. He shrugged and squatted at the fire, warming his hands.

"No reason to eye me up like that! I'm sittin right next to your aren't I? I won't tell him nothin! Pro'lly be my head first."

"So it's settled then. No reason putting our heads in the lion's mouth."

"He'll expect us to be scarred and bloodied."

"We can wrestle a wolf, then blood it. And nobody'll know it but us."

Two nights in the forest later, the men led by Pietre returned to the Castle, bloodied and scarred, shredded skin hanging on bones.

Lupei maniacally greeted them upon their return and, sending the others to the physician's chambers, dragged Pietre back to the forbidden halls. The conniving henchman crossed himself behind his master's back, while he held the vial of blood in his other hand. The devilled reagent threw Pietre into the old church room and looked at him with gleaming eyes.

"Do you have it?!" He begged almost.

"Y-yes, my lord." Pietre wavered as he brought out the container from within is cloak, as if Lupei might suspect the treachery.

He didn't. Lupei took the vial from him instantly and went back to his altar where everything else of the concoction was laid out. By nightfall, the slush in the mortar resembled the pictures in the book, and was satisfactory for the manicked Lupei. Pietre stepped back to the doors as his master lifted the mortar, preparing to drink whatever mix he had concocted.

The reagent, having drank it all in one gulp, wiped his mouth on his sleeve and threw the receptacle away as he stepped out to the balcony for emphasis. No sooner that the full moon peaked through the clouds, Lupei fell on his knees, screaming loud enough for Pietre to hear as he ran to the other side of the castle.