Chapter Text
One
Stepping out of the castle into the sunshine of early summer, Adrian let out a soft sigh as he looked around; in the past six months since the take down of his father, the end of Vlad Dracula Tepes' threat against humanity, things had gone... more or less well. There had been ups and downs, struggles and success, and so far, he'd managed to handle things with Anna's help.
It had taken a good deal of effort and planning to get the chappa'ai and clavis back to the castle where they'd first been situated, requiring, in the end, the help of Anna to watch the machines that utilized the local naquadah abundance to power the teleporter he needed to get everything back without scaring the citizens of Gresit.
Once that had been done, he'd set to work doing more about the damage of the Belmont Hold than anything with the castle; he really didn't know where to start there, considering the way his father had remodeled the ha'tak into its current shape, unable to travel the stars... and now unable to traverse the planet either. The main engine room was melted beyond repairs, and that wasn't even considering how much of the damage probably spread into the walls, well beyond easy reach. While he could probably find and fix all of it, the literal decades it would take didn't currently appeal to him.
Not that he blamed Sypha. Much. They'd needed the castle to come to them, needed it to be in one place long enough to deal with his father. But he did regret, a little, the fact that he couldn't take Anna to places around the world.
::Anna doesn't like to travel,:: Alucard reminded him as he stepped down onto the earth. ::She didn't even want to go find the nearby towns, but there wasn't much other option...::
“Yes yes, I know,” Adrian replied, debating which path into the forest he ought to take. What meal did he feel like making today...? “She's right; we're two people, we need to have help if we're going to put the manor to rights, and while there's likely plenty of books and how-tos in Father's... in the castle's library about how to do that, I understand her logic. And she is the better option; people see my fangs and react badly.”
It didn't stop him from missing her fiercely, though. They both did. His Re'moc symbiote—a Goa'uld that had moved beyond the desire for power, as well as a Tok'ra's need for sabotage—loved her almost as much as he did, and sometimes wondered to Adrian if they couldn't convince her to ask a traveling group of Speakers if they'd allow her to carry one of them so that she could share a lifespan. Neither one of them were sure about how to ask, however, so it had yet to be brought up.
At least now she understood that he loved her. That had been the hardest hurdle to jump, knowing his Father's proclivities, knowing how strongly he himself felt about her, and how he'd feel if something or someone dared to harm her. More tempered, perhaps, but no less wrathful or murderous... He wasn't his father, or even Goa'uld, but being a harcesis came with its own issues; getting away from the impulses of the genetic memory of the Goa'uld wasn't an easy battle... especially not when backed by vampiric instincts.
Better still, while she had taken a few days to think about it, she'd decided that she loved him too. Or rather, that she thought she might, but her own past had enough pitfalls and traps that they were still cautiously treading around how far was too far, how much was too much... That said, he missed having her snuggled next to him in bed, a warm, soft presence that was calming and comforting, even when her sleep was disturbed by her nightmares.
Adrian sighed a little, and ran a hand through his hair. Anna hadn't been gone all that long, really; two weeks, almost three, and she'd promised him that she wasn't going to be longer than a month. It was a pity he didn't have a travel distance mirror. Being able to speak with her now would go a long way towards easing his mind.
::Food first, be lovelorn later,:: Alucard suggested, amusement in his mental voice. ::She'd be very annoyed if you didn't eat properly after she told you to, after all.::
Adrian huffed a little, but smiled; his symbiote was much like a somewhat bossy older sibling at times, and he was occasionally glad for it. Occasionally. But it wasn't quite the same as having another person there, and they both know it. It was a pity he couldn't figure out how to change the castle to something a little less... dramatically threatening, really. So many Wallachians had seen and spread rumors about it... plus they were on land that had belonged to the Belmont family, ridiculed and excommunicated by the church because they dared to be monster hunters...
He found himself wondering how Trevor and Sypha were doing at that moment. Where had they gone after leaving the Tau'ri, and were they having more adventures like Sypha wanted, or was Trevor's rather terrible luck making them less than good? He liked Sypha, he really did, but he wondered how much she really understood about traveling and adventures. For all she was a Speaker, she could be remarkably naive...
After a moment he shook his head and moved down the stairs. Alucard was right, he needed to find proper food to better allow him to ignore the softly clamoring vampire instincts for blood. And to do that, it was time to go into the woods.
He'd known that they were stalking him; humans weren't as subtle at they thought unless they were up against other humans. Given his half-vampire heritage, Adrian had picked them up all too well even before he'd gotten into the more secluded part of the trees with his buckets for water.
There were a few options; a hunter from a nearby town or village, maybe trying to decide to ask him if there was shelter nearby that wasn't the castle. Young monster hunters, trying to decide if he was something they needed to handle. Or they could be Jaffa that belonged to one of the other members of Dracula's former court, which had about even odds of being profuse gratitude or murderous intent. And while he was hoping for gratitude, the genetic memories he'd inherited from his parents, as well as what Alucard knew, said that murderous intent was more likely.
::Anna will be very upset with you if she comes back and you're hurt,:: Alucard pointed out.
::Anna will be upset if anyone gets hurt because of a misunderstanding,:: Adrian retorted as he slipped a hand into the stream and grasped a solid rock. ::She's sweet like that.::
Amusement and wariness in equal measure came from his symbiote, and Adrian slowly lifted the second bucket out of the water.
The sound of a bowstring tensing decided him; he had no desire to be shot, after all. He whipped his arm up, aiming to rebound in an arc he knew would take out the person with the bow, and flash-stepped immediately, aiming for the other person in the trees.
“Two people come at you. Likely partners,” his father's voice whispered in the back of his mind. “Use that against them, and your own safety is assured.”
He did his best not to grit his teeth at the memory of the advice; his father hadn't been wrong, but it still made him twitch, even as he made contact with the other person—a young woman, dark hair and eyes, in clothing loudly proclaiming her foreign nature—knocking her to the ground and bringing a hand back threateningly.
She was Jaffa, a distant part of him realized. The naquadah in her system was concentrated, alike but not identical to the way his father's had been, centering around her stomach instead of the spine.
::Damn. This isn't going to make life easy...::
“P.. please!” she gasped out.
“I will not be hunted,” Adrian replied coldly.
“We're not hunting you!” she immediately protested. “We need your help!”
“With an arrow in my back?” Adrian retorted, gesturing in the direction the other human lay. “Hardly seems like a conversation was about to take place.”
“He was going to cover me!” she insisted. “I was coming out to talk to you.”
Adrian snorted a little, not entirely sure he believed her.
::She hasn't thrown you off,:: Alucard pointed out. ::She's not go your strength, but she is Jaffa, she could be fighting back harder than this if she really was out to get you. Us.::
“We have come a long way,” she continued, and the anxiety on her face... that felt real enough. “Please, I need to know if he's all right.”
“If I wanted him dead, I would have aimed higher,” Adrian scoffed a little.
::And thrown harder,:: Alucard added dryly. ::You still broke a few ribs.::
::Well, they shouldn't have tried to aim an arrow at us.::
“And if he wants to continue living, he should stop right there,” Adrian continued, raising his voice to be heard by the other human now staggering towards them.
The other human did, and Adrian felt a small pang of guilt at the way he was puffing and wheezing. He hadn't meant to break any ribs, but sometimes he forgot how fragile normal humans were.
Not that he could count any of the people he knew as normal. The Tau'ri might have been close to that, maybe, if they didn't have members who left odd gaps in the energy of the world... And the less said about Trevor Belmont, the better.
“Please leave her alone. We really do need your help!”
A young man then. Possibly another Jaffa? Adrian kept his annoyed sigh internal and stood up; he was starting to settle into his life here in Wallachia, contemplating more than just fighting and fixing his father's mess. He'd thought about a future with Anna, where Trevor and Sypha stopped by routinely, maybe bringing others with them that wanted to be monster hunters, wanted to learn what the castle libraries and the hold had, wanted to make the world better.
The young man sprinted across the small clearing as Adrian moved to the side, and he caught sight of one side of the opening for the larval pouch and felt his unease growing. Two Jaffa, seeking him? He could probably survive, but he didn't really want to test that out if he could avoid it.
::Hear them out or walk away?:: he asked as the young man pulled his female companion to her feet.
::...let's hear them out,:: Alucard suggested, though he was also wary. ::They wouldn't be the first Jaffa to turn on their masters.::
“Who are you, then?” he asked, keeping his tone curt.
They both looked at him, and Adrian wondered if they were siblings, then shook the thought from his mind; it didn't matter at the moment, he could find out later, if they proved themselves trustworthy enough.
“I am Sumi,” the woman said, putting a hand to her chest. “This is Taka. We hunt vampires.”
“Not you!” Taka was quick to add. “Real vampires.”
That made Adrian quirk an eyebrow; he was only half-vampire, true, but that seemed to make him more worrisome at times. He had vampire powers, and human immunities to otherwise detrimental vampiric issues. Such as, say, death by sunlight. Holy water, blessed weapons, and silver all hurt, but he could heal from them, given enough time...
Did they regard his half-humanity as a thing that would keep them safe?
“We... we've been tracking the castle,” Taka continued, still painfully wheezing, and making Adrian wonder if perhaps he'd thrown harder than he'd meant to. A Jaffa surely shouldn't be feeling that sort of hit... “Because of who was in it.”
“And who was that?”
“Her name is Cho,” and Sumi's anger was writ loud on her face, oddly split eyebrows drawn down in a scowl. “We were slaves in her court in Nihon.”
He knew the name, and was able to put a face to it with only a moment's thought; the vampire who had turned to mist to try and stay safe in that last, brutal fight only to fall because of Sypha's magic and her ruthlessness in battle.
“When she left to become a general in Dracula's war, we were able to escape the court,” Sumi continued, her voice as tense as a bowstring.
“We followed her to this land,” Taka continued, “learned the language and struggled to track the castle.”
“If she was in the castle with Dracula, then she died at Braila,” Adrian lied, not entirely convinced that their story was true.
“She is not the only vampire in Nihon,” Sumi said flatly. “We need more knowledge than we have, more advantage, to fight them.”
Adrian didn't miss the way she looked at Taka, the way he reached out to take her hand or the tight way she clung to it. He couldn't get any sense of deception from them, but something still felt odd. They were Jaffa. Surely they had enough knowledge of both Goa'uld and vampires to recruit others, to bring people to their sides and start a full-on rebellion...
::We should tread cautiously,:: Alucard agreed. ::Something isn't quite right here.::
“Ignoring for the moment that I think you smashed all my ribs,” and Taka's wince seemed only a little feigned, “this is a good day for us.”
“...Will you teach us?” Sumi asked.
“Teach you?” Adrian raised an eyebrow.
“We are alone in this world now; even if we could go home, we wouldn't be accepted into another court as anything less than slaves again,” and fierce fire burned in Sumi's eyes. Plainly she would rather die than return to slavery, which made him wonder what she'd do—what they'd do—when their larval Goa'uld grew old enough to take hosts. “We don't have the knowledge or power to truly free the people of Nihon from the vampires.”
::I wasn't aware that there were so many in Nihon,:: Alucard said quietly.
::I don't think there is, but you know our people. Inflate a story to make it seem like there's more than there is,:: Adrian replied.
It got him a flare of resigned humor; Alucard did know vampires and Goa'uld both, just like Adrian did. Which meant he knew that Adrian wasn't wrong.
“You have a knowledge famously contained within the castle,” Sumi continued as Adrian half-turned to think a moment. “Will you teach us how to fight for the freedom of others?”
Nothing in her words felt false, but Adrian wondered if she wasn't, perhaps, exaggerating a little bit. Maybe no court in Nihon would accept them as anything but slaves, but that didn't mean another court wouldn't see them as assets. Vampires played out the same petty power struggles as the Goa'uld, if on a much smaller scale, and while they would certainly test the loyalty of new Jaffa from a rival court...
::We should do it,:: Alucard said after a moment. ::If all they have is each other, it's likely their 'court' has gone to ruin in the wake of Cho, and she will not be returning to restore order ever again.::
He knew the chaos that would spring up in the wake of that sort of thing; they both did. After a moment, Adrian sighed.
“Follow me.”
He lead them silently through the woods, not entirely sure he liked this idea, but having nothing else. If all they had was each other, and minimal knowledge, then there was a good chance that they needed what he knew, what he could teach them. And he did feel a bit guilty for breaking some of Taka's ribs. It would be a bit before those would heal safely, sooner if only Anna would come home...
::New company will be nice,:: Alucard pointed out. ::And this way we can watch them in case they're not really what they seem to be.::
::True. Shall I tell them about you?::
The silence in his head was thoughtful, and cautious; Adrian had managed to keep Alucard secret from everyone except Anna, and only because Alucard himself had expressed desire for her to know, to speak with her and personally apologize for the less than voluntary use of Adrian as a host.
::No,:: Alucard finally said, as they broke through the trees into the clearing that housed the walls of what had once been the Belmont home estate. ::Not unless we must, I think. They might decide that you're more vampire or I'm too Goa'uld, and I don't think it's worth the risk.::
There was risk in lying by omission too, but Adrian had to admit he preferred to keep an advantage like Alucard close to the chest. He healed fast as a vampire, yes, but faster as a host...
He paused, looking up at the house ruins for a moment, and remembering why Anna had wanted, if reluctantly, to go seeking more people. Perhaps he could get the two Jaffa—once Taka healed up a little more—to help him repair this place too.
“Do you know where we are?” he asked them, turning to see their faces.
“...not... really,” Taka admitted, looking around cautiously. Then he pointed at the castle. “But... that's Dracula's castle.”
Adrian scoffed, gently.
“That's my castle. My father is dead.”
Both of them went still in surprise.
“Dracula is... dead?” Sumi echoed, eyes wide.
“Yes. By my hand, that of a Speaker, and the last of the Belmonts.” Adrian looked up at the broken walls of the house again then down at the ground. “Beneath our feet is Belmont Hold. The repository of all their knowledge on how to fight vampires, and other creatures that threaten humanity. My castle... contains my father's knowledge. And everything I know..” he smiled a little, sardonically, and tapped his head, “is up here.”
He liked their confused looks. Keeping them on their toes would probably be to his benefit.
“You want to learn how to fight vampires and save your people?” he continued, pushing a subtle infliction of challenge into his voice.
“More than anything,” Sumi said immediately.
No hesitation; that was promising.
“It won't be easy,” he warned. “You will have to unlearn much of what you think you know about the ways of the world, and take on more than you've ever imagined. You start a war against the vampires, and they will not stop in their retaliation.”
There was a reason Trevor was the last of his house, after all. Yes, it had been at the hands of the humans of the church, but he suspected that it had been nudged into place by vampires with money and power. If these two Jaffa took on vampires, most of whom were Goa'uld, and word got around, they would never know peace again.
::Assuming they ever knew peace in the first place,:: Alucard pointed out.
“I'm not going to start this if you're going to stop when it gets difficult,” he finished, and turned his back on them, miming dismissiveness.
“We are committed!” Taka insisted, and like Sumi, Adrian could only hear sincerity in his tone. “We will take all that you can give!”
::So?::
::We should let Anna have an opinion when she comes home, but until then, it will be... nice to have the company,:: Alucard said after a moment. ::There is much that we can teach them.::
“Well then, I think...” He paused, considered his past, then smiled a little. “I think my mother would approve. Come.” Adrian turned, and offered them a careful smile. “You are no longer alone in this world.”
Anna leaned heavily on her staff, and contemplated the forest path at her feet with fast-waning strength. If she'd had the energy, she would have cursed her luck again; running into half a dozen Night Creatures halfway between Danesti and home was neither fair, nor fun, and she hadn't come out of the encounter unscathed. It had been tempting to turn back, to go to Danesti and get help from Greta, or some of the refugees of the town that had taken a liking to her, but home called her more. And she would have been exhausted either way, she knew. Blood loss and healing without taking time to rest up had a tendency to cause that.
She'd been worried though, that delaying would hurt Adrian and Alucard. She'd promised to be away only a month, to find nearby towns and villages and see if there were people braver than the rumors that could help with rebuilding the Belmont estate. And that month was almost up, and she wanted to be home.
Mostly she'd found dead villages, or ones that closed their doors tightly to her, even after she bought supplies to them. Danesti had been the first place where someone had heard her request, and she'd grown quite fond of Greta before deciding to leave...
The Night Creatures had been an unlucky accident, and really, she ought to have known better than to start traveling with the sun going down. Danesti had stout walls, and a populace of refugees from other villages that were more like a miniature army at times. All of them, from the youngest to the oldest, ready to fight for their recently established home, if not all of them practiced in actually doing so.
She'd survived the fight mostly thanks to being able to heal herself, and spot shielding to prevent the worst of the injuries from landing. She'd still lost more blood than was really safe, and had mostly cobbled together her injuries in a bid to get away from the destroyed area as swiftly as possible. She was definitely going to have to let Adrian know that the Night Creatures were trying to move into the forest in worrying numbers.
She took steps with the help of her staff, leaning on it heavily as the edges of her vision went dark, as her ears started ringing. She was no stranger to fainting because of injuries or malnutrition, she knew she was going to end up doing that sooner rather than later, but the closer she was to Adrian, to the castle, the better she would be when she came around again, and could convince her aching body to carry her a few more feet.
A few more feet.
Just a few more-
She broke through the treeline abruptly, and blinked at the mid-morning sunlight, caught off-guard by it. She felt the heat against her skin, knew it was going to be a warm day, but she didn't feel warm. She wasn't even really sure she was feeling her feet as she managed to sway herself into taking another step. Then another. She'd lost her supply pack at some point, she couldn't even remember when, and she knew her appearance was going to upset her dear ones; part of her hope the castle was empty so that she could drag herself to a bath, and then to bed.
The rest of her wanted him to be there; needed to feel the warmth of his hands, the strength of his arms, even the concern in his voice as he called her name, as he-
Anna's legs gave out at the midpoint between Hold and castle, and she toppled on to the unforgiving earth, even as she heard someone shout her name.
Adrian didn't hesitate; he flashed forward and caught her before she could hit the ground, cradling Anna gently against his chest as her staff fell from limp fingers. The vampire in him recognized weak prey and whispered that she would be easy to feed from, easy to kill; he suppressed that side ruthlessly, as he carefully checked her back and head to make sure that he could move her without fear. Assured that she hadn't sustained any head or spine injuries, he lifted her gently, and tried not to notice the rents and stains of blood on her clothing, the bruises that marked her skin and the new lines that would develop into scars if he didn't treat them properly.
Treat her properly.
Sumi and Taka were secondary concerns; he'd meant to show them the Hold, let them see some of his father's bottled lightning lamps, but Anna was more important now, and he brushed by his two guests—students? He still wasn't sure—without a word.
In a household where the injured healed rapidly, there had never been a need for a room to treat injuries, but Adrian rather wished he had one now. Or that he'd brought the coffin back from Gresit along with the chappa'ai and clavis, prototype or not. He probably could have made improvements on it...
::Stop and breathe,:: Alucard said sternly, breaking into the panicked spiral of thoughts. ::She's not in danger of bleeding out, and she's not severely injured at this moment. What would you do if she was awake?::
Adrian didn't stop, but he did breathe. He rather regretted the deep breath for a moment when her blood tickled his nose, but he gritted his teeth and pushed past vampiric instincts.... with some help from Alucard, who was a quietly stern presence in his mind.
If Anna had been awake...
“Bath,” he murmured. “Clean clothes. Food and-”
“...dr..ca?”
Adrian looked down as Anna's eyes fluttered, and felt it as both he and Alucard relaxed in unison. True she wasn't coherent or even really that much awake yet, but it was better than silent, terrifying unconsciousness.
“It's us, darling,” he murmured, taking the steps a measured three at a time as he made his way towards his room—their room, now that she was back. “You're home, you're safe.”
::Safer than out there, at least.::
Adrian wasn't inclined to disagree with Alucard's statement. Anna took care of herself, certainly, but it really was still more dangerous than it had any right to be in Wallachia. If Trevor and Sypha hadn't left so swiftly, or perhaps if the Stargate team were around...
::Personal recriminations later, tending the lady now,:: Alucard suggested dryly.
“...will you be all right if I give you a bath?” he asked as the fog started to clear from Anna's eyes. “I don't want to embarrass you, but...”
She lifted a hand that shook, as though it weighed more than a hand should, and managed to press it to his cheek. He leaned into the trembling touch, then pressed a tiny kiss to her palm.
“I... tr'st... S'kay...”
She was still very body shy, and he understood that he was likely to see things she wasn't ready to talk about. But the fact that she trusted him to wash her up without questions made him relax, even as her hand dropped onto her chest, and she winced a little.
::Her naquadah levels are very low,:: Alucard pointed out. ::She's had to use a lot of it recently, and what's left is trying to build up the blood she lost.::
Which suggested that she'd been in a fight she was meant to lose, and had managed to pull out a win. He'd be proud of that later, once he had the whole story and wasn't angry that she'd gotten hurt in the first place.
By human terms, the hot water that flowed through the pipes into the tubs was magic. Adrian knew better, and so did Anna, but he'd been forcibly reminded of that fact when Taka and Sumi had gaped in wonder at the bathing room he'd shown them, down the hall from the guest room he'd given them. They'd assured him that one room would be better, so he'd let them have it, and after explaining how the knobs worked, he'd left them to their discoveries, smiling at the wonder in them. He would have thought other vampire-Goa'uld blends would have provided their people with tehcnology and advanced weaponry... but perhaps the vampires were more paranoid than he'd really considered, tempering the Goa'uld a little.
Pushing the thought away, he settled Anna gently against the wall—her eyes had slipped half-closed again, and he suspected she was clinging to consciousness by the skin of her teeth—then turned to the knobs that controlled the water. Logically, a soaking bath would help how she must ache, but even with him there to hold her up, he wasn't sure it was the safest option. So he turned the knobs for a shower, then stripped down to his smallclothes before turning back to her.
Anna had drooped, clearly so very very tired, and Adrian felt his heart clench; she was pale from the blood loss, and so very fragile to his senses.
::She'll be all right,::Alucard reminded him, giving him a mental nudge that made Adrian take a step towards his darling. ::Once she tells us all of what happened, I'm sure we'll know the reasons for this.::
Adrian huffed a small sigh, but couldn't argue with the calm logic of his other self.... he knew Alucard was just as upset about Anna's condition, he was just better at compartmentalizing the concern. Centuries of life would certainly do that to a being. In a way, he rather envied Alucard; Sypha hadn't been wrong to call him an angry teenager in an adult's body...
He knelt before Anna, and waited until she managed to lift her head, those fatigue-filled green eyes focusing on him.
“I'm going to undress you now,” he said gently. “All right? So that I can help you wash up.”
It took a long moment before she nodded, her shaky hands trying to undo what she could herself. He let her, unwilling to touch her without permission, without her asking, and when she made a plaintive noise, reached out with a shaking hand, he moved in, and helped her get the rest of her ruined clothes off.
He hadn't expected the scars. Oh, he knew of some; warm weather had her in bared arms and shorter skirts, so he knew she'd carried some on her arms and legs, from fights, or just from a general life situation that she hadn't gone into great detail about. But he hadn't expected the webwork of them on her back.
Who had hurt her this much? Why had they hurt her this much? How dare they-
Anna made a faintly distressed noise, breaking through his anger, and he immediately pulled her against his chest, focusing on her warmth, and the fact that she was here with him. Being angry about something he couldn't currently ask about was pointless, and he stuffed the emotion away into the corner of his mind, much to the overt amusement of Alucard.
He ignored the mental snickering of his symbiote, and gently carried Anna under the steaming water. She protested immediately, but he shushed her, soothed her, and found cloth and soap with which to get the grim of the road off her skin. She didn't really like showers, he knew that, but hopefully she would tolerate this one lone enough to be made clean.
Every bruise made him wonder; one of them had a scar in the middle of it that suggested it had been much worse, very recently at that. He was careful around the obviously sensitive places, and kept himself calm mostly through the way she remained mostly limp against him; moving her arms exhausted her, and he worried because she felt a bit more like a large doll he was cleaning than his precious Anna. The water didn't turn crimson, but it did take on a brief, bloody hue as it streamed down the drain, as Adrian washed dried blood from her skin, and worked it, and mud, out of her hair.
She gained a little more life by the end of the shower, enough that she was responding to his mild complaints about the way her hair liked to wrap around his fingers with tiny giggles. Not able to make full sentences, but he could feel her relaxing against him, and he admittedly spent a few moments just holding her there, listening to the sound of her heart until he reluctantly reached up to turn off the water.
Anna was able to stand, if unsteadily, and he wrapped her up in towels to help her dry before settling her against the wall again. The cooler air didn't bother him as much, and it was simpler to flash-step to their room and back with a sleeping gown after quickly trading his wet smallclothes for dry ones. He felt better once she was clothed, if only just, and had to smile ruefully as he realized he'd grabbed one of his own sleeping shirts instead of hers. It practically swam on her, but she snuggled into it immediately, and he knew he wasn't likely to get it back until she'd had a proper rest.
He braided her hair with swift efficiency, knowing that it would bother her less than if he left it loose—his own preference, really, he did like burying his face in those curls at night—then picked her up and carried her back to their room at a more normal pace, settling her gently on the bed.
“Drica... m... n'go...”
He smoothed his fingers gently over her skin, and kissed her forehead, even as he tried to free his wrist from her tight grip.
“You need broth and something to drink,” he said gently. “And I need to speak to my guests so that they understand what's going on. I won't be away long, darling, I promise.”
::What are you going to tell them?::
Adrian didn't really have a good answer for his symbiote, and tried hard not to melt at the exhausted, but clear, pout on Anna's face as he carefully pried her fingers free. While it would have been laughably easy, he was as reluctant to go as she was to let him.
“N'go,” she insisted. Then, more vehemently in Hispanic, proof that she was utterly exhausted to him, “don' leave me 'gain...”
He stretched out next to her, wrapped himself briefly around her, and kissed her forehead. Anna immediately buried her face against his shoulder, her fingers curling against his chest as she sought a shirt, or some other cloth, to hold on to.
“I'll be here in the castle, my darling,” he murmured. “I'm not leaving you for a long while. Just a few moments. Just a few moments, I promise.”
::Good luck getting up,:: Alucard said, amusement in his tone. ::She's going to limpet on to you like this and you know it.::
::I'd rather she do that for a little bit and pass out than have her in distress,:: Adrian retorted, smoothing Anna's hair his soft fingers as he pressed another small kiss to her forehead.
::You've been her friend this long and think she'll let go? Remind me again how well that's worked in the past.::
If his symbiote had a spare body, he probably would have tried to punch him. As ever, thinking it really hard only made Alucard laugh inside his head, and Adrian moved slowly, peppering tiny kisses to her face as she protested. It was, as the symbiote had warned, much easier said than done, and she made complaining noises the whole way. Repeating himself, firm but gentle, a third time finally seemed to get through to her, and she made an unhappy sound even as she let him go.
He hesitated, then bent and quickly kissed her properly, gently; as he'd hoped, she melted under the pointed attention, and he pulled back after a moment more, running his thumb gently over her cheek.
“Rest,” he said softly. “Rest Anna. I'll be back. I promise.”
Consciousness came in little bursts. She remembered telling him it was okay if he bathed her, the startling feel of warm water raining down on her, his hands gentle on her skin as he washed off blood, mud, and the grit of travel. The complaints that weren't complaints about the way her hair—notoriously unruly—tangled around his fingers, making her feel affectionate amusement as he took such care in freeing his hands without pulling her hair. She remembered the softness of him pulling a sleeping gown over her head like she was a small child again, though she wasn't sure what had happened in between. She remembered the warm strength of his arms as he carried her, and latching onto him before he could leave her alone again.
His voice gently explaining that he had to go talk to someone, had to bring her food and drink, but he would be back, he would, had still taken a few attempts to penetrate her foggy, exhausted brain, and she'd fought the darkness that called her until he'd returned, until he'd settled on the bed with her and she could wrap herself around him, hear the slow and steady beating of his heart, and feel his arms wrapping around her in reply.
She'd had the energy to complain when he'd insisted that she drink the broth and mulled cider he'd brought, and he'd switched between Adrian and Alucard, coaxing her into drinking every last drop, his voice always going, coaxing and soothing, sweet and gentle until she had—somewhat begrudgingly—managed to finish all of it.
And then the warmth of him again as he laid down with her, as he wrapped himself, and the blankets, around her. His warm presence and strength assured her that there was nothing that could get her, nothing that would be able to get to her because he was in the way, and she let consciousness finally slip away into a soft, safe darkness.
Properly waking up, her first emotion was confusion; she had been outside but now there were stone walls and a ceiling; she had been dressed in her travel clothes but now she was wearing a sleeping shirt much too large for her; she remembered the feel of early morning sunlight, but the light coming in through the windows was the cool silver-blue of the moon; she-
“Awake now?”
Anna looked up and met warm golden eyes. She flushed a little, both surprised and pleased to see him, and nodded meekly. Adrian marked his place in the book he'd been reading—in the moonlight of all things, how on earth could he see like that?—then set it aside, and kissed her forehead gently.
“How are you feeling?”
It was a fair question, and Anna moved slowly, tentatively. Her arm ached in a specific way that warned she might have to ask him to rebreak and then reset the bone for her, her ribs ached but that wasn't unexpected, and her legs still carried the heavy weight of fatigue from pushing herself so hard. On top of that, she needed to find a privy sooner rather than later.
“...fit to burst. Achy. Did my arm...?”
“I seemed straight when I checked you earlier,” he interrupted, kissing her forehead again as he sat up carefully, bringing her with. “Do you need help, or can you stand on your own?”
She didn't want to try and stand on her own, but she had just enough pride to make her try. Her legs warned her with sharp pangs that she wasn't going to enjoy the attempt, and she slumped back onto the bed, feeling sweat beading up on her forehead.
“I need help.”
It wasn't a struggle to admit it to him, to them; her Adricard—a playful nickname blend of the two beings inhabiting one body—was really quite good at knowing when to push, and when to let her be. Which made things like that—asking for help—much easier.
He swept her up gently, and let her down once they reached the washroom, where she relieved the pressure quickly, then washed up and managed to limp out. When he held out both arms wordlessly, she nodded, and let him pick her back up, snuggling against his shoulder, and feeling rather like she was recovering from being dreadfully ill.
“Do you feel well enough to dress and come down to the kitchen, or should I bring a meal up to you?”
“...stay with you.”
It was silly, childish even, but Anna didn't exactly want to wait by herself while he made her something, even knowing he'd do it as fast as he could so that he could get back to her. Fortunately, he just nodded his understanding, and nudged the door to the bedroom open, setting her gently onto a padded stool instead of the bed.
“It's late enough that the guests shouldn't be about,” he murmured, “but I know you'll feel better wearing some of your own things, hm? What happened to your travel pack?”
Anna shook her head a little, watching with weary fondness as he went to the armoire and opened it, pulling out the simple gowns they'd hemmed and let out a little that had once belonged to his mother. That he'd allowed her these gowns made her feel precious, and he politely turned his back while she wriggled out of the overly large sleeping shirt—it had to be his, it was much too broad across the shoulders—and into the dress.
She paused briefly, feeling the tail-edge of familiar scars, and remembered that he'd seen them now. The idea made her stomach churn a little, but...
“You can ask,” she said as she straightened the dress, standing briefly with a small wince for her aching legs. “It's okay.”
“We weren't sure the questions would be welcomed...”
She turned and smiled a little at the glowing golden eyes; Alucard had come forward then. It wasn't surprising; he had centuries of life on Adrian, and probably was the better option for keeping a cool head, as well as a delicate touch when it came to asking questions.
“It's... not easy to talk about,” she admitted. “But... but it's all right if it's you. I trust you.”
The fond smile on his face made her feel rather warm; when she reached out, Alucard was there, gently sweeping her up into his arms for which she couldn't help but be grateful. The two people in one body was a little confusing at times, but she knew that both of them cared about her, and she certainly trusted her Adricard.
“What happened?”
They were halfway down the hall, heading for the small, informal dining area before she thought she had the right words to explain.
“When I was thirteen, the old priest who headed the church in my village died. He was a good man, rather like Sypha's grandfather, just... without the other inside of him, and he always made sure that what I did was what I wanted, not what my mother pressured me into. Mama, she.... she wanted to demand payment for my helping people, no matter how little they had. I never did. I just...”
“Wanted to help people. One of your great strengths.”
Anna flushed a little; compliments still felt so strange to hear after a lifetime of criticism. Alucard's arms tightened gently around her, and she snuggled into him, breathing quietly for a few moments.
“A new priest came a few months later, and he... wasn't so nice. In his eyes, what I did was an insult to the church, probably because I did it without holy guidance or... or something like that. I don't know. But I continued doing what I wanted, until he finally declared that I was demon touched, not blessed, and since I refused to stop... 'corrupting people' by using my power to heal, that I would be punished.”
The silence was heavy and weighted; she suspected Adrian and Alucard were having a fierce internal argument about what should be said, or done, whether revenge was worth the effort or not. It made her huff a little in amusement to realize that she knew him this well, well enough to guess at his, their, thought patterns, and know that the emotions behind it were well-intended.
“That was the day I figured out how to protect myself,” she continued as he carried her into the familiar warmth of the kitchen. “Or, well... that I could turn my power into a bubble of protection against harm. His face was rather funny when I trapped him in a bubble and the magic cut his whip in half.”
That got her a small snort, and as she was settled on to a chair, she saw that his eyes no longer glowed; it was Adrian in control again, then.
“And you left after that?”
Anna nodded, and relaxed in the chair, following him with her eyes as he moved with ease and comfort about the kitchen.
“How old were you then?”
“Fifteen. I've traveled mostly with Speakers since then.”
“Ah. That explains what you were doing with that group when we woke up.”
His tone was light, teasing, and Anna stuck her tongue out at him for it, making him grin when he looked over.
“You know I was in Gresit well before them,” she huffed.
“I do, darling,” and he paused to move to her side and stroke her hair softly; Anna leaned against him, and breathed in the smell of the spices he was using to cook with. “I'm still very sorry about that... and so is Alucard.”
She appreciated their apology, and hugged him gently before giving him a tiny push; food sounded good sooner rather than later, really.
“It happened. We're all alive,” she said gently. “What's this about guests, by the way? Did some travelers finally get over their fear of the castle?”
“Not... quite. We'd like you to meet them before we say anything, but... but not until you're feeling stronger.”
Anna blinked, and peered at him, torn between curiosity and concern.
“...you're worried that they might try to take advantage of my current state?” she asked slowly.
“Yes. No. Maybe? It's... They're Jaffa from another Goa'uld court,” and Anna jumped as Adrian's voice changed abruptly. “We can't ascertain their sincerity. We've allowed them to stay for now, and they seem sincere enough, but we're not certain.”
“Are they from a court that's currently in existence? We did... you know, remove several vampires when the castle landed,” she pointed out.
“Cho's court may no longer be active, but the people enslaved in it are, and any Goa'uld or vampire worth their megalomaniac salt will certainly be taking steps to gather both her Jaffa and her humans slaves,” Alucard replied, a small grimace on his face even as he finished putting together what looked like it was going to be a lovely vegetable stew. “They say they wish more training, to fight and free their kind, and we have agreed, but...”
Anna half-smiled at the briefest hint of vulnerability. She appreciated the concern, she really did, and the fine line they both walked to avoid smothering her. It was sweet, sometimes overbearing, and something they were still working on.
“I need more rest as it is,” she admitted wearily sniffing in appreciation as the stew heated on the flame. “What happened, it... it wasn't easy.”
“...what did happen?”
Adrian was back, and he gave her a worried glance that made her sigh. She was going to have to tell him eventually, might as well get it out of the way.
“Night Creatures,” she admitted after a moment. “About halfway between here and Danesti. The forest gets thick and dark, and I should have taken a different route, I know, but the path was straighter on the map...”
And she didn't want to pass by the dead, or unfriendly towns again. One experience with those sad and angry places was enough.
“About halfw- how far was the journey?”
“I think roughly twenty miles, give or take.”
The exasperated sigh made her giggle a little, ruefully.
“I know, I know. I should have found a place to stop and take care of myself. But I didn't want to linger... there's... something odd is going on in the forest,” she continued after a moment, smile fading as her discomfort rose. “I'm not sure what, but... but something.”
“Hm. Perhaps something we could set our proto-hunters on,” he said after a moment, pouring the warmed stew into a bowl and bringing it, and a spoon, over to her. It smelled wonderful, looked wonderful, and Anna only didn't dive into it simply because it would be too hot for a few moments. “Do you think it's more than Night Creatures?”
“I don't know... For the first few miles, it was a normal forest, and then the trees got.. closer. It got quieter. I didn't get ambushed, I heard them coming, but... well...”
She picked up the spoon after a moment, and reached out with her other hand to him; Adrian pulled his chair around to sit next to her, and held her hand gently as she tried to recall what she could of the fight.
“It felt like I interrupted them trying to get to a specific place,” she continued after some consideration and absently stirred the stew with the spoon. “Like... I don't know. It was a very brief impression before they decided that I was worth attacking.”
Adrian's hand squeezed hers gently, and she spooned up some of the stew, blowing on it carefully. She squeezed back, and set to her meal.
“Do you want to meet them today?” Adrian asked tentatively as Anna leaned her head against his shoulder.
“Mn? Oh. The... guests. Hm...”
::I object strongly,:: Alucard said, mental voice agitated. ::Until we know their motives, we shouldn't trust them so easily.::
::I'm giving Anna the chance to decide what she thinks she wants to do, so we have a place to negotiate,:: Adrian pointed out. ::Not trusting them.::
The embarrassed silence in his head was enough to make him want to snicker; Alucard had centuries of life on him, but when it came to the woman they adored, he tended to fumble around just as much as Adrian did. It was, in a way, comforting; Alucard had been a Goa'uld born Goa'uld, not Tok'ra or Re'moc, so being able to tell that he was just as enamored of Anna, that he couldn't tell whose heart pounded harder at the sight of her...
It made him feel just a little bit better about the species he had so many genetic memories of.
“...I am tired,” Anna said slowly, covering a yawn that tried to interrupt her. “I don't really think I'm in much shape to meet anyone, potential ally or not. And being only human,” a quick smile made the words teasing, not accusatory, “I won't heal as fast as you would. I'm more likely to sleep most of the day than anything else. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after, I should be feeling better, and you won't have to worry so much.”
There was fondness in her tired green eyes, and Adrian leaned down to kiss her forehead, unable to be anything but pleased by the idea that she was staying hidden. Staying safe until she really could defend herself again. Not that he wouldn't hesitate to step between her and any dangers, but.. well, he appreciated that he wasn't going to have to try and bargain with her about actually doing that.
“...will you be all right if I leave you to yourself most of the day?” he asked after a moment, slipping his arm around her shoulders so that he could cuddle her more comfortably. “I meant to give them a chance to look at the Hold, and to work more on laying wares for the lights...”
“Mm. I'll be fine, Drica,” and she nuzzled him, another yawn slipping out. “I should be able to walk better next time I wake, and if they're going to be with you in the hold, trying to read the books, it should be fine.”
'Should be' didn't mean that it would, but he decided he wasn't interested in pressing the issue; Anna was already half asleep as it was. Really, he probably ought to get her to bed...
“...Dri?”
“Hm?”
“If you're worried about... T... Taka? And Sumi?”
“Those are their names, yes.”
“Why not send the message box through the chappa'ai? You could ask Ti for help in seeing how sincere they are.”
Adrian blinked, and he felt as though Alucard would have sat bolt upright in surprise if he'd been in control.
::We still have that somewhere, don't we?::
::Somewhere. Key word,:: Alucard replied slowly. ::We put it away in the library, but that was six months ago, and we... didn't exactly fix up the chappa'ai or the clavis, just moved them.::
“A good idea,” he said after another moment, pressing a quick kiss to her temple. “We'd forgotten all about that. But we'll have to affect repairs to the clavis so that we can send things through. And I don't think I want them to know I have a chappa'ai just yet. It could have... disastrous results.”
“Disastrous...?”
Concern sharpened Anna's voice, and he knew they wouldn't be going to sleep without giving her an answer. He sighed a little, and let Alucard slip forward.
“This world is odd,” Alucard said carefully. “The levels of naquadah, the thing that gives you and Sypha magic, is naturally higher than most other worlds the chappa'ai can access. While the Goa'uld originally came here to try and harvest that, Dracula, as you know, realized it wasn't feesible, and also that this world was... a good little kingdom for him. The naquadah here cannot be harvested, I doubt even the Ancients could have done it. It's... just too dispersed in every facet of this world, from it's humans to its non-humans.”
Adrian, from where he'd been gently nudged, was able to see Anna's thoughtful expression, and the way her eyes flicked; she always thought she wasn't as smart as he was, but for someone who had only what teachings she could glean from her home village—may that place burn for hurting her so—and what the Speakers had taught her, she really was quite intelligent.
“...Oh. You think if they can find another world, it won't have the same magic, and they'll get... sick?”
“Something like that. I don't know what naquadah withdrawal is like, as it is something I naturally produce, and their Goa'uld larvae would likely protect them for a time... but it's entirely likely that the lack of naquadah would be felt sooner rather than later, and could harm them greatly.”
“I remember that... it's why you told Zhack that it wouldn't be likely we could visit.”
Alucard smiled warmly, and Adrian's own burst of pride was magnified by the Goa'uld's.
“Precisely. It's likely that I, we, could go and suffer few side effects, but you, or any other human without a Goa'uld, Re'moc, or Tok'ra,” and Adrian felt a spurt of surprise at the grumpy feeling that slipped through them at the mention of the Tok'ra, “would likely suffer adverse effects quite quickly.”
“I understand. So, we don't mention the chappa'ai, or clavis to them,” and Anna nodded firmly, then snuggled back into Adrian's shoulder, eyes closing.
Control was returned, and Adrian slipped an arm under her knees, lifting her gently.
“Time you went back to bed, darling,” he said as she squeaked and clutched at his shirt in surprise. “We can worry about other things in the morning, hm?”
“...you'll stay, right?”
Adrian shifted her just enough so that he could kiss her forehead, as he started walking.
“Always.”