Chapter Text
They rebuild, slowly but surely.
Sypha quickly alerted her tribe to her location via a transmission mirror found in his father’s storage, and Alucard was sure the Speakers had traveled across Wallachia in record time.
The Elder was overjoyed at the news of being a great grandparent, holding his granddaughter close and crying as he did. She told them the entire story of their travels, how she deciphered the trapping spell and overpowered the castle, aided in the defeat of Dracula and traveled around saving (and failing to save a few) towns, and fought off the last of Dracula’s armies. She also bragged heavily about how her boyfriend was the one to save the world from Death itself and how her best friend became a savior to his mother’s people. They helped with the repairs and made sure the village setup was all in order, making the castle a sanctuary for humanity.
Of course, Trevor was also in need of some repairs. After a thorough examination, Alucard determined his arm was covered in second-degree burns, which ran up and down his arm in a strange lightning-like pattern and left the flesh beneath injured, but Alucard was sure with his parent’s collection of medical knowledge he could rehabilitate it. There were fractures and muscle damage, tendons ripped and joints sprained all over the Belmont’s body, and the only thing that could be done about that was resting his body.
But even then he was an active man, insisting his bed be placed on the lowest floor so that defense plans could be brought to and overseen by him. More than once his girlfriend or best friend would check in on him only to find him surrounded by the village men as he admonished them on their latest plans.
Today, Alucard had walked in to check on him only to find him yelling about turrets, “Turrets are useless in forests unless you’re firewatching, because then you’ll be above the leaves and branches and things can sneak under them out of sight! It’s simple logic people, use your brains!”
He laughed, “Trevor, remember these are farmers and carpenters, not soldiers.” the dhampir chided teasingly, “Be nice.”
“I am being nice.” he huffed in reply, “I’m a very nice person.”
“Of course you are.” he rolls his eyes, before heading up to his classroom.
Truth be told it wasn’t actually a classroom, just an old playroom which happened to have a large blackboard on one of the walls.
The children all sat on pillows, each with their own personal tablet and chalk to write on. They chatted and doodled on their boards as they waited for their class to begin, but Alucard stood outside the doorway for a moment and smiled. He was happy doing this, happy to show them maps of the world and teaching them how to read and write, encouraging them to think critically but also with kindness.
It felt right, like it was something he was always meant to do.
“Settle down kids,” he calls as he finally steps into the room, smiling to himself all while the kids hurriedly sit in their assigned seats. He liked to think maybe he’d inherited some of his father’s commanding presence, though his mother was also one to make sure directions were followed the first time they were given.
The time for reminiscing was later, now it was time for going over the alphabet.
“When I call on you, I want you to give me the letter of the alphabet. I’ll start us off with the letter ‘A’ for… ‘Alucard’.” he pauses to write it on the board, “Do we all understand? Yes? Good. Johnathan, you go next.”
“B for Belmont!” the boy replies without hesitation. The dhampir chuckled and wrote it on the board, “Good. Mina?”
“C for Sypha!” she declares proudly.
“Sypha doesn’t begin with a C,” Johnathan says, wasting no time calling her out, “That’s an S, it’s a ‘ sss ’ sound!”
The other kids giggle and Mina puts her head down, “A C can make a ‘ sss ’ sound.” she argues, mumbling as she fidgets with the hem of her skirt.
“Mina’s right, a C does sometimes sound like an S. Which is why it’s a very easy mistake to make.” Alucard says, quickly saving her from further ridicule, “I’ll let you use ‘Sypha’ for S later. For now can you think of anything else that might begin with C?”
She hums in thought for a moment, “... Cat?”
“Very good.” he nodded and flashed her a smile, turning to the board to write it down, “Quincy, you’re up-”
“Sorry to interrupt.” came Greta’s voice from the doorway. The dhampir pauses mid word to look over to where she leans against the frame, arms crossed across her chest.
“Did something happen?” he asks.
“There’s two people outside asking for you,” she says, “They say it has to be you.”
“And it’s urgent?”
“Very.” she nods.
“Alright,” he sighs, putting down his chalk, “Children, choose the letter of your first name and write down as many words that you can think of that start with it. I’ll be right back.”
“Okay, Father!” the children all replied in unison, picking up their chalkboards and beginning their task.
“I’ve never seen those kids that focused on anything,” Greta comments in slight awe as they walk down the hall.
“Yes well, it’s easy once you know the science behind it.” he says nonchalantly, like he’s not made giddy by the praise of his partner.
“Mhmm. Good to know, then that means raising our future kids should be a piece of cake.’
The dhampir chokes on air, “What?”
“I’m kidding, I told you I’m not a fan of kids,” she laughs, “My God, you should have seen the look on your face!”
“That was mean.” he huffs, “You’re mean. … I’ve told you that kids are an impossibility, right? I’m-”
“‘Sterile like a mule’,” she finishes for him, “Yes, you told me before I even started dating you.”
“Just making sure,” he coughs, clearing his throat awkwardly, “I should uh-, go meet those people.”
“Yes, you should.” she agrees, smirking as he runs off.
Alucard (who is definitely not running away from an awkward talk because he is too dignified to do something like that), rushes down to meet the mysterious visitors, taking a look around.
He spots two hooded figures at the end of the square, one of whom is very tall. His first thought is how he used to climb his father like a tree when he was young enough, but then he sighs and shakes the childish memory from his head. There is official business to do after all.
“Excuse me,” he calls as he walks to them, “I was told you were looking for-”
They turn around, and he’s sure he has died, because… because...
“This can’t be real,” he says, “This isn’t real.”
His father- no, the fake Dracula steps forward, “Son-”
“You’re not them!” he snaps, voice wrought with pain that echoes from his very soul, “The last time I saw them they were trapped in the body of a monster screaming in agony! And the time before that was as a withering carcass and a corpse burned beyond recognition! How dare you, how dare you take their forms-!”
The fake Lisa lunges for him. Alucard panics, prepares to tear off her head but before he can she… is hugging him?
He stills, freezing like a statue. Every detail is right, her calloused yet gentle hands, her broad but short frame, her cornsilk hair so much like his own. The only way someone could know all those details were if...
“Mother…?” he breathes in disbelief. His mother is here, she’s warm and real and holding him just like she did when he was little. And God help him, he leans into her touch which he missed so much, choking on a sob, as he wraps his arms around her, “ Mother ,” he cries, unable to say anything more.
For Lisa, it’s all he needs to say to understand, “I’m here,” she whispers, petting through his dirty blonde locks, “I’m here, love.”
Alucard knows in the back of his mind that people are staring, but it doesn’t matter. His parents, his parents who raised him and taught him and loved him are here. Both of them are.
Alucard quickly puts his mother behind him as he turns to his father, glaring, “And… what about you?” he asks hesitantly.
Dracula’s eyes softened, “I am myself,” he says, voice wrought with shame, “The moment I died, I was relieved from the insanity that plagued me.”
“Well, good for you.” he scoffs, despite the little kid in him that just wants to run into his father’s arms.
“There is… nothing I can say or do to make up for what I did,” he begins, his words measured and practiced (surely with the help of his mother), “I don’t ask forgiveness, I don’t even ask that you allow me back into your life. I just want you to know, for your own closure, that I am deeply sorry from the bottom of my unholy soul.”
Dracula was right about that. Nothing he could say or do could undo the past, would erase the scar on his chest or the burdens that were forced upon him.
“What do you want to do?” he asks his father, “What will you do?”
“Make the most of this second chance,” he replies, “And leave the world a better place when the time comes for me to go for good.”
He thinks for a moment, “... well then, you have a lot of work to do.” he says at last, “I think the castle will be a fitting place to begin, there’s no one who’s more knowledgeable than you about the architecture and it is in need of many repairs.
Dracula smiles and bows his head, “Thank you, my son.”
“Don’t thank me just yet, this is just a small step which is beginning a long journey Fath-”
“Father!” comes a small voice in the distance, alongside the sound of equally small footsteps, “I need help with thinking of Q words!”
The dhampir gasped and quickly wiped the tears from his eyes as he turned to address his student, “Quincy! I thought I told you to-”
Just as he reached them, the child startled upon sight of the seven foot tall vampire, quickly hiding behind his teacher and gulping, “Father, who are these strange people?”
At that, poor Alucard flustered as his mother and father both threw up their brows.
“‘Father’?” Lisa echoes with a chuckle, “When did I become a grandmother, you little scamp you?”
“It’s uh, it’s complicated.” he clears his throat awkwardly, “I’ll explain it to you, I’ll tell you everything. Christ,” he runs a hand through his hair, “There’s so much I need to say, I-I don’t even know where to begin.”
“It’s okay,” she assures with a soft smile, holding both his hands in hers, “We have time. We’re together now.”