Chapter Text
Part One: A Return
The sun was slowly rising in the sky as dawn became morning. It was still cool in England, as the summer had not yet arrived. The Hellsing mansion was slowly coming back to life after a few hours of rest. Men joked with each other on their way to their morning training routines, where they would practice the skills they needed to destroy what most people thought was fiction. The household staff could be heard in the kitchens cleaning away the breakfast service. Walter, head butler and retired ‘trash man, moved down one of the dull corridors towards the lower kitchen. While most of the staff who cooked did so in the upper kitchen, Walter much preferred the kitchen three floors down. It was often empty because the Hellsing organization’s ‘pets’ used it.
“Miss Victoria, should you not be sleeping?” Walter entered the kitchen. Seras jumped, making the old man smile. She was adorable for a vampire.
“Probably. I am tired, but the moment I lie down, my mind won’t stop thinking.”
“Warm milk may help.” Walter absently flicked the kettle on as he walked to the fridge to retrieve said milk.
“Walter.” Seras made a face. “Warm milk is terrible! My mother used to make me drink it when I was small.”
“You are still small.” Alucard’s voice preceded him into the room. No one jumped. Seras huffed and turned away. “Don’t huff at me for speaking truth. Besides, I rather like small.”
“I rather like small,” Seras repeated in a derogatory tone as Alucard entered the kitchen through the north, facing the wall. Walter frowned at him. The basement entrance was from the south, facing the wall. North was the stairs. Not that Alucard ever cared about logic. Many times he had emerged through a ceiling when previously he had been in a basement.
“Alucard?” Walter spoke up as the vampire gently elbowed him out of the way to access the fridge. Alucard rummaged for longer than required before emerging with a small baggie of human blood. “Why are you up at this hour?” Walter asked. “Normally you would have turned in over an hour ago.”
“The smell of ‘breakfast’ is unpleasant.” Alucard repeated the same excuse he used every time to explain why he retired so early.
“Except today.” Walter pressed.
“Breakfast does not smell bad. Bacon is wonderful.” Seras grumbled mournfully as Alucard sat beside her.
“Then buy it bottled.” Alucard pulled a face. Seras laughed at the thought of bacon perfume enough to lighten her mood.
“Did Integra want you?” Seras asked when her giggling stopped. She leaned forward as she asked, wanting to know if a new mission loomed on the horizon. Hellsing had been quiet for the last month. Freak sightings dropping exponentially. Everyone was getting bored.
“Yes, police girl, Integra wanted me.” Alucard tore into the blood pack and devouring the contents in moments. The crumpled packaging remained on the table as Alucard slumped forward, his head resting on his arms, which rested on the table. “However, I am not as irritated as usual.” He smiled and Seras frowned. “Integra has organized a brief trip.”
“A trip?” Walter came and sat next to her holding only his tea, having abandoned warm milk. “A trip where?”
“I am going home, police girl.” Alucard looked up and smiled sleepily before collapsing back onto the table.
“Home? But Master?” The young fledgling stopped speaking as she watched her master sink down and disappear through the floor, down into the basement where his coffin waited. “Master?! What does that even mean?”
“Well.” Walter said after a moment, lifting a tray with Integra’s morning tea. “I do believe I will take Integra her tea and perhaps discover the meaning of your master’s deliberately cryptic words.”
“He said he was going home.” Seras swallowed hard as Walter left the kitchen. She stood and went to the fridge, retrieving a blood pack of her own and a glass. Sitting down, she mulled over the words. She knew only a little of her master’s past and did not trust the books she had read as a child. They made fictional stories to be sensational and false. She knew that Integra’s ancestor had ‘captured’ her master and had forced him to do what he now did. She knew he had come from overseas and that the mansion wasn’t his actual home.
She looked around at the kitchen and smiled a little. She had thought of the mansion like it was home. She had only been here a short time, but this place was her home now. Obviously, her master had never felt that way. When he had said home earlier, his voice had been different, his tone softer and longing. She repeated his words to herself a few times and sighed. “I am going home.” His words implied he would make this trip alone. She swallowed and tried not to admit to herself how she felt about him leaving her here.
She had been terrified of him only months ago, now him leaving left her feeling unsettled and a little afraid. She knew the mansion was safe, and she had got to know some soldiers, although the household staff still avoided her. If her master left, she wouldn't be alone. But he was the only one here who was like her, and she was the only one was like him. She was the only one who could understand at least some of what he felt, and she had been thinking he understood that. Over the last month or so, he seemed to be interested in her. He had even praised her, and sometimes she could have sworn he’d looked at her with a somewhat affectionate glance. He still called her police girl, but it had changed. It no longer felt like a dig at her uselessness, now it felt affectionate, like a proper pet name.
Seras sighed loudly and let her head rest on the table, sniffing loudly and cursing the burning behind her eyes. The door opened quietly and Walter entered. He was smiling until his eyes rested on her. Seras sat up and rubbed her eyes.
“Tired,” she said, knowing he wouldn’t believe her for a second. “Did you find out anything about what Master said?” Walter smiled again.
“Yes, I did and, as usual, Alucard was far too vague.” He smirked and poured himself a fresh cup of tea before settling himself in the chair recently vacated by Alucard. “He is to return ‘home’. But it is a mission, not a holiday.”
“A mission?” Seras frowned. Alucard did missions alone. He was more than capable. But he had taken her along with him on the last one.
“The organization has been called to Romania, more particularly a certain area from which your master originates from. Apparently, there are some disturbances that hold a remarkable similarity to some ‘disturbances’ you master once caused centuries ago. But with your master here, the people are panicked by this development and have contacted us.”
“Why us? If the master did similar things when he lived there, surely we would be the last people they call.”
“Integra has been speaking with them in secret for a few weeks. Apparently, they would feel confident enough to have him back if she were there to hold his leash. As for why they approached us in the first place, Integra has told me they feel we would be uniquely skilled in handling this.”
“What does that even mean?” Seras snorted, unimpressed.
“I believe it comes down to, ‘you’ve done this before you understand what is happening, please make it stop.’” Walter said. “Integra has agreed to help, with the focus on improving international relations.” Seras raised an eyebrow skeptically. Walter nodded.
“She wants to improve our relationship with our foreign cousins. But I believe she is curious. Apparently, they have a few old texts written by ancient hunters who took it upon themselves to confront your master. Belmont, I believe they called themselves.”
“That name sounds familiar.” Seras mused. “So Master and Sir Integra will leave soon?”
“A small group of us is to travel sometime within the next few days, to deal with the ‘problem’.” Walter’s smile became wider as it clicked why Seras had been upset.
“Small group of us?” Seras leaned forward.
“Yes. Integra wished for you to remain here.” Seras’ face fell, and she leaned back. “She wanted to leave the men who would remain here a vampire in case something occurred. Her faith in your abilities seems to have increased.”
“Oh.” Normally, this kind of news would have made her feel proud, feel like she was finally pulling her weight with the organization. But today it made her feel as if she was being abandoned again. She looked down at the table, feeling her face heat again. Walter grinned and spoke again.
“Apparently, your master kicked up a fuss and got Integra to change her mind.”
“What?” Seras’ head snapped up. “He asked for me to go?” Walter nodded.
Seras took a moment to be impressed because someone had changed Integra’s mind. Her smile widened quickly as it sunk in that her Master had requested her presence on this mission, and then when denied, had ‘kicked up a fuss’ on her behalf. Seras couldn’t help the spread of her smile at the thought of her Master wanting her to be with him. It was probably foolish of her to feel this way, but knowing it was foolish didn’t stop it.
“Have you ever been before?” Walter shook his head.
“I have never been Miss Victoria, but I know some small tidbits of information about it. It is an inhospitable place, full of mountains and harsh winds.” Walter leaned back as he spoke. “I have seen it in movies, in books, and a few times I have seen it in my mind when your master described it to me.”
“Really?” Seras couldn’t help the excitement that swelled in her chest.
“It compliments your master. He fits there.” Walter said. “But come, there will be time for talking when we are on the plane.” The old man stood. “You should pack for cold Miss Victoria and pack quickly. We will leave in just under a week. Sir Integra has allowed me to give you funds for a winter wardrobe.”
“New wardrobe?” Seras tried to sound happy. If Walter had offered her money for a new wardrobe when she was human, she would have been bouncing with joy. But as of late, her tastes in pleasure had changed. Traipsing around a mall filled with happy mortals only made her feel awkward now. Re-stocking her entire wardrobe was a chore rather than a privilege. But Seras took the offered money and went to change into something more socially acceptable.
The next days passed quickly. Walter was nailed to his desk in the small office next to Integra’s trying to organize the mansion while they would be away. It was a herculean task and Seras thought it a little cruel of Integra to have not even told Walter of her potential plans earlier. He had at one point offered to remain behind, but Integra had put a stop to such talk and Walter became frantic about his organization. Seras tried to help him by taking charge of some household staff and organizing the daily chores of cooking and cleaning. Alucard took this opportunity to tease her about being a maid, but Seras sprayed polish at him and he left her alone after that until she had to sort the ‘wardrobe’ situation out. She spent a few hours in London expanding her wardrobe, which Alucard found amusing, considering the cold would not truly affect her. He mocked most of her choices until he saw the faux fur coat that he liked originally, until he touched it and proclaimed that it felt like little plastic fibers. During all this, Integra did as she always did and remained in her office almost constantly.
A week after Integra had first shared the news that they would return to Alucard’s homeland, Seras boarded the plane. It was a small craft, and it forced its passengers to sit close together. Seras hated it, and she gripped the armrests until they bent when the engine started and squeezed her eyes closed when the plan moved.
“Miss Victoria?” Walter said as the plane leveled out.
“I hate planes,” Seras grumbled, releasing her death grip on the armrests. She was calmer now. The plan was smoother. “They make me sick.”
“It’s not actually the planes, Miss Victoria.” Walter looked paler than he should. “It is the fact that we are now over water.” The old man winced and jerked suddenly, looking as if he would soon throw up. Seras felt a pang of sympathy, but her own sickness soon overrode it. Absently, she glanced over at her master, who sat on the other side of Walter beside the window. He was using the opportunity to sleep, for which Seras was immensely jealous. How someone could fall asleep that fast was beyond her, but the moments he sat down it was like he flicked a switch in his mind and he was gone.
“Wake up.” She hurled a small packet of peanuts at her master.
“Miss Victoria.” Walter frowned at her and Seras blushed. Walter waited a moment before smirking. “He is a heavy sleeper.” He shook the elder vampire roughly. “WAKE UP!” Alucard’s eyes flew open suddenly, looking at Walter. He froze for a moment, then a smile broke out.
“Are We There Yet?” Alucard looked out the window. Seras couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her. It was hard sometimes to remember that the vampire now peering out the window was the ruthless monster of Hellsing. He was far too infantile and most of the time behaved like a spoilt teenager. Alucard, now realizing that they were not anywhere near his home, sat back and snorted unhappily.
“I feel sick.” Seras half expected her master to snort at her, but also hoping he’d somehow know how to fix it. Alucard looked at her and sighed.
“Your aversion to water will go as you age and become more powerful. Water will not affect you so badly, besides this is not as bad as it could be.” Alucard tried to get comfortable in the small chair.
“How is this not as bad?” Seras huffed. It felt bad to her, like her entire body was rejecting itself.
“The smaller the water, the less its effect, so be glad we are flying over the channel to Europe and not flying to America.” The ancient vampire made a noise of stress when he realized he couldn’t fold himself into his chair. He gave a huff and his frame shivered.
After a moment where her master had been sat a small boy with long dark hair.
“Master?” Seras asked.
“I told you police girl, I cannot make you feel better, sleep. I’m sure Integra will have sedatives if you need help.” Alucard grumbled, pulling Walters’ discarded coat over himself.
“No, it’s not that.” Seras said, but Alucard’s breathing was evening out and within moments he was quiet out for the count once again.
“He wore that form a lot when I was younger.” Walter moved a very long strand of black hair out of Alucard’s face. “I’m not sure why, but I like to think it was because he wanted company and found in me someone he could relate to so he changed himself to look more like someone I could relate to.”
“He looks tiny,” Seras said.
“He looks like a girl,” Integra muttered, overhearing the conversation.
“Well yes, I was getting to that.” Seras was suddenly hit in the face with the same bag of peanuts she had thrown at Alucard earlier. “Master! You’re cruel.”
“Says the person who threw said peanuts at me while I was sleeping, then wondered about my gender,” Alucard grumbled. “Your idea of ‘cruelty’ is very limited.” Seras opened her mouth to speak but found herself lost for words. Instead, she huffed loudly and slumped back in her chair. Another bag of peanuts hit her.
“Master, will you stop throwing peanuts at me!” Seras half wondered where he was getting them from. “Seriously, stop it or I will throw up on you.”
“Please refrain from that,” Walter muttered. “I fear you would not reach him, but would hit me.”
“Go to sleep, police girl.”
“I can’t sleep. I feel too sick, and I am not taking sedatives.” Alucard made a quiet sound of agreement.
“Sedatives are not pleasant.” He sat up fully, eyes opening. He leaned forwards over Walter, who reached out to fiddle with the master vampire’s hair. The butler had missed this length of hair, it was so much more fun than the short style Alucard had adopted recently. Seras blinked as her master leaned forwards enough to place a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Sleep now, Seras.” Seras felt all the sickness and fight go out of her, leaving her feeling wonderfully relaxed. Yes, she thought, Sleep sounded very good. She was unconscious before her eyes had closed.
“Thought you said you couldn’t fix her problem.” Walter said as the now slight vampire sat back
“No, Walter, I said, I couldn’t make her sickness stop. I never said I couldn’t place her under sleep.” He smiled a familiar smile to Walter. “You wish to sleep also?” the butler nodded, airsickness even when not caused by an aversion to water was unpleasant. Alucard grinned and Walter was sleeping the moment he decided that was what he wanted.
“I notice Seras got a kiss.” Integra pointed out, glancing at her monster from across the plane. The ancient beast hiding behind the face of a child just smirked back at her before closing his own eyes and letting sleep take him.
Seras woke several hours later and, clambering over a sleeping Walter and Alucard, looked out of the window. The first thing she noticed was the snow. It covered the land in it. Hardly a spot remained untouched. She smiled and crawled back to her seat.
“We will land shortly.” Integra noticed the young vampire was awake. “You might as well wake them.”
“Getting crawled across was enough to wake anyone,” Walter said. “Should I try contacting our driver?” Integra shook her head.
“I’ve already done so, and he is on the landing strip. Although our original driver has come down with some illness or other. The gentleman who is replacing him barely understood me and seemed quite terrified when I mentioned where we wanted to go.” It had early on been decided that they would stay in the place Alucard called home. This surprised Seras as she expected Integra to hire out a hotel, but the leader of Hellsing had clarified that it will be easier to control whatever problem had arisen if they were closer to it.
“Typical.” The plane began a steep descent and Seras squeaked. Walter took her hand. “Please do not break my fingers.” Seras smiled gratefully and tried to keep her grip loose. The plane touched down gently and rolled to a stop. Alucard was on his feet before anyone had realized he was awake. He grinned and let himself drop through the floor. Someone outside screamed.
“Not even here two seconds.” Integra clambered out of the plane. Seras sniggered. Then, when Integra glared at her, she tried to pretend she hadn’t.
There was a small car waiting by the plane. Seras frowned at it. It barely looked capable of handling England’s roads, let alone snow-covered mountain roads. The driver was the one who had screamed and was now crouching behind a wheel arch, watching Alucard, who had wandered off down the runway. Not overly interesting in terrifying locals. Integra gestured for the bags to be placed into the trunk, and a second man came out of the car to obey. Apparently, there was a driver and a guide. Once the bags were loaded, Integra clambered into the car, warming her hands the moment she could. Seras raised an eyebrow. This place did not feel that cold to her.
“You want to go ruins?” the guide asked when Walter and Seras were also seated.
“Where is master going to sit?” Seras wondered.
“Ruins?” Integra snapped “No We Want to Go Castle.” Walter held out a map on which Alucard had kindly drawn a smiley face where his home was. He showed it to the men, who paled.
“No castle.” The guide said. “No.”
“I Understood You Would Take Us There.” Integra said slowly. The guide shook his head and waved his hands rapidly in front of him.
“You no understand. Place Cursed. No castle, ruins now. Still Cursed.”
“Cars won’t find it anyway.” Alucard arrived back at the car. Seras smiled as he looking avidly around himself as if trying to get his bearings. He had, upon walking to the car, resumed his usual form, and his long red duster flapped in the wind.
“Well, you can walk then.” Integra snapped. “And You Drive.” No one said no to Integra.
Three hours later and Seras was fidgeting uneasily. The car had been on a snow-covered road for what felt like forever, and she did not know where they were or how far they had come. They passed through a single town before reaching the mountains. Seras had to admit the mountains were beautiful. Walter seemed pleased with them, claiming that they matched the image in his mind perfectly. The road was hard to follow. Few people came this way, and the snow was unmarked. Unsurprisingly, and as Alucard had predicted, they couldn’t find the castle. They were lost.
“Land Cursed, no find. Curse make us lost.” The guide said eventually.
“Cursed my backside,” Walter said. “Lack of GPS, more likely.” Seras sniggered. She had been silent for the entire journey, not wanting the driver and guide to suspect her nature. But her smile at Walter’s words gave her away, and the men in the front seats went still.
“Demon.” One said. Seras rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. Childish, but she didn’t care.
“What now?”
Walter looked at Integra, who rolled her own eyes and looked defeated.
“Alright.” Integra sighed loudly. “I’ll call him.” She continued to grumble for a few moments before finally saying out loud, “Alucard.” She paused and waited. Suddenly, a look of anger took over her features, and she slowly turned red. “It’s not amusing, you bastard. Come and find us.” She seemed to cut the connection and mumbled, “Git.” Under her breath.
“We no go further.” The driver started speaking. Integra threw up her hands, and he fell silent.
“I can drive.” Walter said helpfully
“We can’t just make them walk home.” Seras snapped. “Besides, what do they mean curse? They keep saying that, but Master lives in England. How can he curse things over here?”
“That your master lived there at all sounds like a curse to me,” Integra muttered. The driver paled in fright and swallowed loudly. A sudden sound ripped through the silence of the mountains, the sound of wolves, and something else, something heavier. An enraged squeal from a horse made everyone in the car jump. Then a gentle tapping on Integra’s window followed. Integra sighed and rolled down her window.
“Miss Hellsing.” Alucard’s voice came in through the window, but not his face. Instead, all that could be seen was his boot. Seras frowned before scrambling out of the car. Any excuse to be out of the cramped space? Another squeal reached those who remained in the car, but a young girl made this one and it was a squeal of delight.
“Oh, aren’t you beautiful!”
“Why thank you.” Alucard’s voice sounded smug. They heard Seras huff loudly.
“Not you the horse!”
Eventually, curiosity caused Integra and Walter to emerge from the compact car. The scream of all out terror from the driver and the guide as they saw Alucard caused everyone to jump. Alucard was wrapped in a thick fur cloak and perched atop a magnificent beast that was wrongly labeled a horse. The two mortal men turned and fled with a speed that was unexpected, their cries echoed around the mountains.
“They seemed happy to walk back.” Walter laughed. Seras glared at him for a moment before looking back at the monster horse her master was riding. The creature resembled a horse in shape, but that was where the similarities stopped. Its eyes glowed bright red, and its teeth were those of a carnivore. Atop its head, it held great pointed horns. Its hooves looked sharp and deadly, while its coat of richest black shone in the dull light. Together, the vampire and the monster horse made quite a pair.
“What’s his name?” Seras danced around the splendid creature. Alucard lept down and smiled at her. It surprised him. He had expected Seras to be terrified of his charge. Integra and Walter were nervous of the creature as it snorted and pawed at the snow-covered ground, whinnying impatiently.
“His name is Asmodeous.” Alucard spoke calmly, Seras gave him a look. “I did not name him. He told me his name when he came to me.” He lifted his hand and the demonic horse calmed and started nosing at Alucard’s gloved hand, as docile as any horse ever was. Alucard smiled widely at his fledgling’s interest in his mount and fished in his cape, pulling out an apple the colour of blood. He handed it to Seras.
“You’re not serious,” Integra spoke up. “That thing looks as if it eats people.” Asmodeous snorted at her, and Alucard made a soft sound, bringing the horses’ attention back to him.
“Asmodeous is not a thing.” Alucard sounded somewhat offended. “Asmodeous is an old friend of mine. He has been loyal to me for a great long time.” Alucard sounded almost nostalgic, and the superb horse gave a sound of pleasure as Seras fed him the apple. Once it was gone, however, he continued to nose at the little vampire as if searching for more. Seras giggled when the horse tried and eat her hair. Alucard seemed genuinely impressed. “He is not normally so welcoming.” He mused. “He has trampled many for doing what you just did.”
“I fed him,” Seras said, confused, wondering why such a nice horse, despite its appearance, would want to trample anyone.
“He is a demon of War,” Alucard explained as Asmodeous realized Seras had no more food and was instead content to allow her to stroke his nose. “He has killed many men and has, on over one occasion, saved my life.” Asmodeous, seeming to understand, whinnied proudly and moved over to nose at his master, who ran gloved hands down his sides. “You’ve gone soft, old Friend. Either that or you’re a sucker for a pretty face.”
“Can we please get a move on?” Integra snapped before Seras could blush. “It is immensely cold.” She paused. “That is if it is alright with you, your undead highness.” Alucard smiled at her sharp tones as she returned to the car. Walter took the driver’s seat, and Integra climbed into the back.
“There is more room in there now,” Alucard mentioned to Seras. The little fledgling blushed for a moment and looked to her feet. She yelped loudly when powerful arms bore her up onto Asmodeous’ back. She giggled out loud when her master climbed up behind her and kicked Asmodeous into a trot.
The journey was far more interesting on horseback. Seras still dressed in her Hellsing uniform did not feel cold. But despite her lack of cold decided she wanted something covering her arms and pulled some of her master’s fur cloak forward and wrapped it around herself, much to Alucard’s amusement. She understood then why he had turned his nose up at her coat. This felt wonderful, soft and warm and alive. Her coat felt plastic in comparison. But Sears would rather not have the deaths of a lot of small squeaky animals just so she could have a nice coat.
“These animals were never squeaky.” Alucard laughed, peaking at her thoughts. “It is made from warg pelt.”
“Warg?” Seras looked over her shoulder at him.
“Wargs are a creature that is something between a bear and a wolf. They are large and their fur is rich. This was a gift from a Warg clan that I used to house in my home.”
“They gave you their skin?” Seras blinked unbelievingly. Alucard smiled and nudged Asmodeous to move a little faster. The car was keeping pace rather well, and it was annoying the master vampire.
“I housed and protected them from the mortal hunters. When one of their elders passed, I received this as a mark of respect and gratitude.”
“Well, I’m not skinning myself for you soon.” Seras huffed, “No matter what you do.” Alucard laughed and shook his head.
“You are an odd creature, Seras,” He admitted. “Now look over the ridge, can you see?” Seras squinted and looked at the mountain ridge closest to them and tried to see what her master was referring to. Eventually, she spotted it. A turret. It was thin and moved in the wind, but it was undoubtedly a turret, or what was left of one.
“I see it!” she smiled. “Is that where we are going?” Alucard nodded and Asmodeous’ trot turned into a gallop. Alucard ignored the angry car horn behind them.