The Lost Princess

Chapter Fifteen

He was dreaming again. No. Impossible.

He had wanted to step out from his hiding spot as soon as she had entered the room. Slowly, she moved closer to the desk and into the moonlight that filtered in through the large windows. His breath caught in his throat and time as he knew it seemed to stand still.

She was precisely the same as he remembered her.
The same beautiful face from his dreams, the same dark hair that waved slightly to her lower back, her small frame.

She looked up at Integra and there he saw the only changes; no longer did she have the blush on her cheeks, now she was like him, pale and devoid of any human colour. Her lips, still full and sensual were tinted the colour of blood. And her eyes, with their thick dark lashes, were no longer the brown that turned hazel in the sun, but the same glowing red as his.

He noticed her blood-stained attire, the deep red a harsh contrast against the white shift gown, the torn military jacket which was too many sizes big hung over her shoulders loosely.

She was not the soft maiden he remembered. She was barefoot. Wild.

He took in her appearance and realised he had never stopped loving her.

She spoke suddenly and he felt his insides ache. Her voice, also unchanged, still had the rich sound of their homeland. He listened intently to the tale of her life and all that happened after the night that changed everything.

She had omitted parts of her story involving him and he was glad, as it was likely too intimate and painful to share for her also. But when she told his master and Walter how the gypsies had found her and hidden her away he wanted to weep. He clenched his teeth angrily, hating himself for all that he brought upon her.

And then, like another blow, she mentioned the woman he once sought, Mina Harker.

He watched her expression carefully. Her tone was nonchalant but he knew it had hurt her, and it killed him. He had caused her so much pain and had continued to do so over so many centuries. How could he ever hope for her to still love him? He was a monster who had nothing but destroy her life.

But then he saw the wedding band he had given her, still on her left hand. A small glimmer of hope. She had kept it after all this time.

She told them that the little Major and his Doctor had taken her blood and he felt his anger flare dangerously. He wanted to leave Hellsing immediately, find them and destroy them in the most violent and torturous ways for laying a hand on her.

He recognised then that his wife, his Ilona, was a fighter. She had been through so much and he respected her even more for that.

"Sir Integra, I would like to offer my service to your organisation." He then heard her say.

"No!" he thought. He wouldn't let her be in danger this way. Not again. Not ever. He would talk to his master and find a way to keep her out of it.

"But first, I think there's someone you should meet. Alucard, reveal yourself."

The call of his name brought him back. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. For the first time in centuries, he felt nervous.

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Ilona saw his form emerge from the shadows.

He was different now, but she knew it was him. Vlad. Alucard.

His hair was shorter, resembling the length he had when he was a child. His face was smooth and white, no longer covered by moustache or scruff, his high cheekbones now more visible.