#belndes

‘       HOLD.      don’t  attack.      my  friends     &     i  come  in  peace.       ’         her  voice  rings  clear,     echoing  against  stone  walls,     a  hand  outstretched  in  offering.      ever  the  mediator,     bringing  calm  to  conflict,     often  before  it  ever  begins.      a  habit  that,     unfortunately,     freya  has  found  little  success  with  since  stepping  foot  outside  the  circle  tower.      she  only  hopes  it  works  now,     less  they  end  up  fighting  the  person  THEY  ARE  MEANT  TO  AID.      the  speakers  told  her  of  missing  kin  ;     she  can  only  assume  this  is  the  one  they  speak  of.      that,     or  it’s  some  other  intruder,     &     their  missing  speaker  is   one  of  the  poor  piles  of  bones   scattered  ‘cross  the  rubble.      freya  hopes  for  the  former.

once or twice every month trevor and sypha returns to the beached castle above belmont hold,   making sure that their friend   —   he,   dhampir son,   lost in home that used to be so warm   —   has not yet fallen to the eager bite of sorrow.

“     here—   have you read this one yet ?     ”     alucard asks and pushes a medium - light tome towards his knowledge seeking friend.   a laughably easy read,   perhaps,   but alucard still returns to it once every blue moon.   a favorite,   easy to see,   the pages well turned and notes scribbled into margins that sypha will soon be able to read,     “     i’d like to hear your thoughts on it,   if anything.     ”

The beast struggled against her magical bonds, naturally out of fear; she was a monster that was not under the tyrant Dracula’s thrall, but a monster nonetheless. Of course the human would’ve feared her. Her lips curled as she struggled to formulate words, having not spoken in human tongues for a very long time. She fought hard to get her words out, in hopes that she would not die tonight.

When sound finally did come out of her throat, it was deep, gutteral and echoing. She had many voices, both masculine and feminine, all speaking in unison.

“Iiiiiii... Am nnnooooot... Youuuurrr ennnnnnnemyyy.”

“    i cannot speak for belmont but…  in the time we have known each other i have come to care for you like i would my own family…    ”    he sighed softly,  looking down to meet her gaze with tenderness burning in his golden eyes.    “    i apologize if i have been suffocating i just-   i can’t bear to lose any more family sypha and i suspect trevor feels similarly.    ”