Chapter Text
Letter from Mina Murray to Lucy Westenra, dated 1897:
My Dearest Lucy,
I fear I have been away from you too long now, what kind of wife am I going to be for you, if it takes me so long to reply to your lovely letters? Oh how I miss you, I cannot wait until I can return to you, though I fear I may be so much longer than originally planned. Dracula has me going through every single bit of paperwork I can find, and with this castle being at this scale of size, I’m finding difficult to get through her plans as quickly as Dracula would wish it done.
How does one describe a castle such as Dracula’s? Towers reaching high into the cloudy night, the front gate at least triple the size of a London town house, surrounded by a mountain and a thick forest of dead winter trees, concealing creatures of the night howling and growling within. The ground, despite no thunder or lightning, shook with the weight of the castle, almost a warning of what was held within. I wish I had taken the warning I was offered before I ever came to this forsaken place, the halls within used to amaze me, now I consider them my own personal hell, seeming to change and twist at will to aid in my minds loss of sanity.
I am beginning to understand why poor Miss Renfield lost her mind during her time here, it begins to feel akin to a prison, purgatory of hellish nightmares. I sometimes wonder how I have survived for so long, but I suppose you and I both know I have survived worse, so I should not fear, should I? You cannot understand this place and its will over you, nor the owner of the house, Dracula has this way of willing you to dare and go against her whilst on her own land. What I first thought was admiration for another woman such as myself and you, my lovely, clever Lucy, was actually unbridled terror at that look in her eyes, like she’s capable of anything I might fear.
Dear God I hope I can leave soon, I feel as if I have eyes on me at all times of day and night, watching and waiting. I think this will probably be my last letter to you for a while my love, for I don’t think I’ll get the chance again before I begin my return to you. I am going to leave this hellish place as soon as physically possible and make my way back to you, I know now that I should have never come here, I should have kept away in London with you, in blissful ignorance of this place and of it’s owner. I’ll have to devise a way out of here, so in the meantime take this letter as a good sign that I will make my way back to you, because I am determined to do exactly that.
All of my love and hope,
Forever Yours,
Mina Murray.
Mina’s POV:
I hope that letter made it to Lucy, I sent it about 3 weeks ago now and I am still stuck in this forsaken place. As soon as I think I’ve finally finished, Dracula finds something else for me to do, I’ve tried running at night, but there is always something that stops me, be it Dracula or one of the many creatures outside preventing my leaving. In particular that forest is one of my main enemies, as during night in day, shadows dance around the edges, the noises that emerge from within are enough to give me nightmares for the rest of my life. But now I’m getting desperate, desperate to escape back to my life before this, to the ignorance bliss to the others in this world that London provided. Dracula has clearly been watching me throughout my time here, but I always feel eyes on me, constantly watching, but the gaze of these others is different, still terrifying but they aren’t the same, each feels different to Dracula’s.
I’ve tried to act as normal as I can without giving away my plan, keeping up with the work, acting as meek as she expects me too. But I have a plan, I’m going to wait until day break, it’s still not entirely safe for an escape, but it is the only option I have left at this point. So I’ll keep pretending until I can learn the routes I need to for escape, this maze like castle was chaos for me in the beginning, but with continuous and careful studying I have been able to figure out one simple but efficient path that should lead to my freedom. Well, at least get me out of the castle itself, I’ll still have to make it through the woods alive, which I’m hoping will be easier in the day, however from the one window in my room the path I originally took has disappeared. I have a horrible feeling that Dracula is in control of more than just the castle she resides in. Nether the less, it is imperative I make it out of here, I will not die at the hands of some mad woman, and I will be reunited with my Lucy.
Now’s my chance, daylight has broken and it seems the eyes have gone elsewhere, this is it if I want to leave for good. I grab the essentials, my bag with notes and evidence of what I believe to be a move on the English Government, possible evidence of a robbery a few years ago, and I decide to move fast but carefully. If I make too much noise I could ruin this for myself.
Stepping into the hallway I slowly shut the door, careful of the door latch and hinges, as soon as it’s closed I begin running down the long corridor. Slowing for corners, I peer round the correct corner before checking the opposite way to be sure, and bring myself back to a sprint. I feel my legs begging me to slow, but I push on, if I slow for even a moment when it isn’t necessary, it could mean being caught. My lungs begin to struggle after what feels like hours of running and slowing, but I contain my breath to short, quiet breaths. If there’s one thing my past has taught me, it’s how to escape a megalomaniac who think themselves a God, whether male or female, they always become too comfortable, thinking they’re above being outsmarted.
Finally, legs and lungs screaming for a pause, I see the over towering front door, but I don’t pause, not until I feel them. The eyes. They’re awake, not Dracula’s, but the others within the castle. They know where I am, they know what I’m trying to do, and they’re closer to me now than they’ve ever been. Piercing my skin, eyes like iron pokers fresh of the flame, designed to melt through me and freeze me with fear. But I am determined, I push through my fear and run once more, sprinting to the door in a mad dash, not caring what noise I make now.
Just as I near the grand door, reaching for the handle, something flies across the room, grabbing my arm as they spin and flip to throw me across to the wall. I collide with the wall hard, the air being knocked from my lungs, losing consciousness for a brief moment before coming to, and starting at the sight in front of me. Three women, beautiful women at that, kneeling in front of me, all of them red eyed and sharp fanged, smiling at me as if I was a piece of meat for them to feast upon, “So,” the one to the right starts, long black hair and tan skin, “this is little Mina, how cute! She looks absolutely divine.” I look at her as she says this, I’m scared, I thought their eyes where worst from afar, but I am now realising that it so much worse when face to face, it’s like they can see every part of my body, every aspect of my living being and of my soul. I do not like this feeling of vulnerability.
“I wonder what she could have been running for so fast Liliana?”, the one on the left, short dead straight red hair and a pale oval face, says this with humour in her voice, looking towards the one in the middle. I’m going to assume this is Liliana, her hair is tied up behind her in complicated plaits, light brown hair with strands falling to frame her heart shaped face, her skin darker than the others.
Liliana cocks her head and comes closer to me, despite my body screaming not to move from pain, I grunt as I pull myself further into the wall, dented with the force I was thrown at it with. “You want to live don’t you? Want to survive?” she asked this rhetorically, clearly already knowing the answer, which pulled anger from within me, so I pulled myself to sit up straight, coming so very close to her smirking face. “Fuck of you deranged bitch,” I spat out with as much courage as I could muster, surprising her as she narrowed her eyes and growled deep and low, warning me to be quiet, but I didn’t listen, as I normally don’t. “You’re just some animal trying to scare me-”, suddenly she grabbed me by my forearm and picked me up, dangling me from the ground, I yell out in pain as she begins to pull me above her and throw me back into the ground. My arm was deffinantly dislocated, and I’m certain some of my ribs where already broken at this point. The three of them lean down towards me, fangs bared to me, trying to scare me, but I refuse to show them my fear, about to try to stand we suddenly hear a great booming from above.
“What are you doing?!” Dracula, she’s here, stood at the top of the grand staircase, staring down with a fury filling her dark eyes. The three women move away from me, but continue to stand tall, about to start arguing back. “She is mine, you know of my intentions, beloved wives, move away from her.”
Anger washes through me, what did she just say? “I do not belong to you! How dare you claim me as some object!”, despite the pain searing through my veins, I stand tall, almost impossible to do in a room of women well above me in height. I feel the air move before I see that Dracula has moved past her supposed wives and is now stood right in front of me, so close I have to look up at her. Up close she is extremely imposing, long blond hair, dark eyes the colour of night, angled face that could cut you just by looking at her. But I refuse to back down, shoving the impulse to cower deep down, I stand my ground whilst I sneak my hand behind my back, grabbing the dinner knife I tucked away by the handle.
“Apologies for their behaviour, Miss Mina, my lovely brides may be very trying sometimes, an unruly trio if you will. But you have my word that they will not stop you from leaving, if that is what you wish to do.”
My hand that had begun to pull the knife out froze, my eyes widening, “You… won’t stop me from leaving? You’re lying, how am I meant to believe any of that?” That’s not what I was expecting to hear, but my suspicion overcomes my surprise quickly, I don’t trust her, not even a little. “Of course, you are no longer needed here,” I start to back away slowly, having to use my only functional arm to search for the door rather than keep its hold on my knife, “I asked you to come and help sort my paperwork in order to purchase new land, and you have succeeded.” My hand finally finds the door handle, my eyes flick to each of the wives, anger marring their faces, then back to Dracula’s calm facade, “I won’t be followed?” my question pointed at her, watching her face contort into a sweet sort of smile, as sweet as she could conjure, “Of course not. Please, feel free to go, the forest shall show you the way.”
With that I quickly opened the door, my eyes still watching each of them, as soon as the door was wide enough for me to, I turned and bolted out into the blinding light of the midday sun. I kept running, ignoring for the hundredth time today the screams of my body to stop, but as I saw the forest path had indeed been revealed once more, I pushed harder than I ever have, to finally be free of this place. Even when I became surrounded by the forest, the path ahead clear and the shade of the trees providing shelter, I kept running.
I can still feel their eyes, though I don’t know if they are still looking at me, I don’t think I will ever be able to stop feeling the searing burn of their eyes on me, always. But I am free now, finally, as I break through the forest onto a road, I stop and take the first painful breath of many. I see a carriage headed my way and frantically wave it to me.
Lucy, my beloved, if you can hear me, I am coming home.
Dracula’s POV:
“How could you just let her leave? I was just beginning to have my fun, and you took that from me!” Liliana is not happy with me right now, but I refuse to turn from the door until Mina has cleared the forest. Mina surprised me, I haven’t fallen for the meek little girl trick in quite some time, but I suppose that if you live for as long as I do, you never expect to be surprised. I was already intrigued before I invited her here, a woman of her accolades working such a low level job, was strange to me. But, I suppose I will figure that all out in due time, for now I will continue as planned.
“Dracula! Will you please answer me?!” Liliana was now right behind me, the anger radiating off of her in waves, Talia and Diana having already disappeared due to boredom, I was left alone with my first wife.
“Liliana, I am sorry I did not tell you of my intentions, but you should not have gone behind my back with this,” I always try to be fair with my loves, but they make it hard sometimes. “You know I always have a plan, Mina intrigues me, her instinct to survive and intelligence are far more than is commonly seen in most, she would make a wonderful addition to our family would she not?” I tried to calm Liliana, but I don’t think she quite understands what I’m trying to say.
“As another wife?” looking confused and saddened, I hugged her tight, “No my love, as a partner in our grand scheme,” at this, she relaxed into my embrace, hiding her face in the crook of my neck, sighing that I should have told her before, which I know I should have, especially considering, “Mina is the same as us, I’m sure I can convince her to join us to fight against the world for what it allowed to be done to us”.
At this, we went back upstairs, Liliana to her own rooms, me to my office to begin my plans of following Mina Murray to London.