Tales from the Silent Forest

Disclaimer: Castlevania belongs to Konami, not me. I am making ?0.00 out of this fic; it is written purely because I have a burning need to create. Although I would like to own Alucard . . . then he would be mine.

Rating: PG-13

Part: Four of Four

Setting: Pre- Lisa's death

Authoress Note: Dracula teaches his son to hunt.

Italics = thoughts and flashbacks

Chapter Four

Work Text:

"This is more food than I've ever seen in my entire life," Caroline said as she was nudged gently by Lisa towards the large dining table.

"That castle went a touch overboard?" Lisa raised an eyebrow at her husband.

"The castle?" the woman who had grilled Lisa earlier asked.

"You have heard when people say that object has a mind of its own?" Lisa smiled. "Well, it's a bit more literal here."

"You're not referring to a staff, are you?" the woman said. Lisa chuckled.

"No, I'm not, but don't worry, it's self-aware only in the vaguest of senses."

"It's probably easier to understand it as an extension of my father's will," Adrian chimed in.

"That doesn't make me feel any better," the woman said. "But at least I know it's not watching me."

"Can we eat?" Caroline said. Lisa jerked back to face the group of women eyeing the steaming table like they'd never eaten a day in their lives.

"Oh, of course, sorry, please help yourselves," she felt herself blush. The women descended on the table with careful enthusiasm. Lisa couldn't help but notice that they kept eyeing her son warily, though not so carefully as they had when they first arrived.

"You smell lovely," Caroline said to one of the women who had gone to the baths.

"Yes, well there were centred oils, and little flowers, so…" the woman trailed off.

"The baths were huge!" another spoke up. "Big underground caves with heated pools."

"Steam is moved through pipes," Adrian said. "Sometimes we move the water as well. Some of the pools have natural thermals from… other areas of the castle."

"This place is amazing," one of the women said, seeming to relax as she filled her stomach. Others made non-committal sounds of agreement.

"Yes, well," Lisa said. "You're welcome to eat as long as you like, please take as much as you like and when you're done we'll show you to your rooms." She did not miss how several of the women kept glancing to her soon, nor how uncomfortable it was making him. Her husband also hadn't made a reappearance. She stood and took her son's hand, leading him out of the room to the hallway.

"What is it?" he frowned as she squeezed his hand.

"I was going to ask you the same thing," she said, leading him to one of the smaller sitting rooms. Adrian glanced back at the dining hall. "They'll be fine for a while."

"Yes, of course," he mumbled and followed obediently as his mother led him into the small room and sat in one of her husbands' oversized chairs.

"Your father's taste in furniture is unique," she said feeling dwarfed in the elaborate chair.

"The word throne comes to mind," Adrian smiled, a small weak thing.

"It does rather," Lisa said. "Now, tell me, what has you looking so dour?"

"It's nothing," he said.

"Did someone say something?" Lisa pressed. "I can't imagine they physically attacked you?"

"No one attacked me," Adrian snorted.

"Then why do you look so?" Lisa said. Adrian shrugged and remained quiet, Lisa stared hard at him and waited. He was getting better at holding out under her stares but he was still her boy and it didn't take too long for him to crumble.

"I don't like the way they look at me," he said quietly. "Like they're waiting for me to hurt them."

"You understand where they came from?" Lisa said. "You found them in cages, woman and young girls only end up in cages for a handful of reasons."

"I didn't put them in a cage," Adrian said. "Hell, we let them out."

"Yes, but these are women who've been abused by men for a long time, they will be expecting further abuse. They won't know what to do with kindness."

"But…" Adrian said.

"you need to be patient with them, they will look at you like they are waiting for you to hurt them because they are waiting for you to do just that."

"I let them out of cages, brought them to my home, and showed them where they could wash, then we fed them and still they watch me as they expect me to eat them."

"I doubt that was all they were expecting," Lisa sighed. "One of them outright asked me what the payment would be for our 'help' she and probably the others are not used to kindness. They come from a world where people only 'help' others for something in return."

"I don't want anything from them," Adrian said. "Except for them to stop flinching every time I move."

"Does their flinching bother you?" Lisa asked.

"Obviously," Adrian said.

"No I don't mean does it upset you not to be trusted immediately, I meant does it bother you?" she frowned hard at her son.

"I'm not a cat mother," Adrian snapped. "I'm not going to attack them because they run from me." Lisa sighed heavily.

"I don't think you're a beast," she reached out and closed her hand over his cheek. "You're father once said that there was something inside him that always wanted to chase and tear when someone runs from him."

"I'm not like father," Adrian said.

"And hopefully you never will be," Dracula's voice came from the shadows in the hallway as he walked into the room.

"Now, now," Lisa said, standing and walking to her husband. "There are many things I would love our son to take from you."

"Hunting instinct not being one of them," Dracula said.

"It bothers you," Lisa said. "That's why you've not gone back in there isn't it, their fear speaks to that part of you."

"Perhaps," Dracula said softly. "But it is nothing that cannot be controlled."

"I am well aware of your stubbornness," Lisa said. "But I am pleased that Adrian does not seem to suffer as you do."

"It is difficult to help people when your nature itself fights it," Dracula looked to his son.

"Then why did you let me bring them here?" Adrian said.

"Because," Dracula smiled widely. "You have much of your mother in you and I struggle to refuse her anything."

"Such lies," Lisa said. "You did not get that volume I wanted from the man walking the silk road." Dracula looked away from his small family, suddenly becoming very interested in one of the landscapes on the wall. Lisa started to smile again.

"You're such a terrible liar," Adrian sighed.

"I didn't say anything," Dracula snapped.

"You don't need to!" Lisa grinned. "Where is it?"

"Nowhere, or the peddler still has it, or maybe he sold it to someone else," Dracula said. "It certainly isn't in the east wing library, on a very high shelf with a few other volumes I was saving for a special occasion."

"You utter bastard," Lisa leaned up and kissed her husband's cheek. "You spoil me."

"why hide it?" Adrian frowned.

"Because your mother is still reading the last one I gave her if I gifted the new volume now then she'd abandon the last gift."

"That's ludicrous," Lisa snorted.

"The bedside table is groaning under the weight of your unfinished books," Dracula said. "I'm going to get it reinforced."

"You're both ridiculous," Adrian sighed. Dracula looked away from his wife to his son, who was looking mildly brighter though still disappointed.

"You must understand," he said stepping forwards. "That we are creatures that inspire fear in others, you cannot expect that to change, certainly not in a matter of hours. Give the women time and they will come around, or perhaps they won't. they might never stop fearing you."

"It makes things difficult," Adrian said.

"But not impossible," Lisa nudged him. "How about we go back?" the two men nodded and followed behind her.

"How do you manage it?" Adrian asked when his mother was out of earshot. "How did you cope with people being afraid of you all the time?"

"I liked it, for a time, at least I thought I did," Dracula said softly. "It wasn't until your mother approached me and I remembered what it was like to have people not be afraid of you… and how much I had missed it." Adrian sighed loudly, Dracula raised an eyebrow.

"I don't want to wait for centuries for someone like mother to come and kick the door in," he grumbled.

"I hope you don't have to." Dracula smiled and together they walked back into the dining hall where the frightened women were waiting.

Epilogue

"You sent me a letter,"

"Yes, welcome to Danesti."

End Fic

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