The Firebird (Chapter 1, A Castlevania Nocturne Fanfic)
CW for Period-Accurate Sexism
Maria sat up in bed, her hair disheveled and bags under her eyes. Slowly the events of last night came back to her. She huffed in frustration and felt herself blush.
Maria’s nightmares were increasing in frequency and she absolutely hated it. She hated waking up in the middle of the night crying like a toddler. She was grateful that Alucard and Juste were willing to sit with her until she calmed down, but the fact that they had to do it at all was so humiliating. She felt that she was far too old for this. She was 16, practically an adult. She should be able to handle her emotions on her own, even if her life had been turned upside-down in such a short amount of time.
Maria groggily walked into the kitchen. Juste and Alucard were sitting at the table engaged in quiet conversation. They nodded at her and said their good mornings, treating her as if it was just another day. No mentions of the nightmares, no mentions of her sobbing. Maria briefly met their eyes and looked down, still embarrassed from last night.
“So, do you have any plans today, Maria?” Juste asked as Maria sat across from him. She nodded, still looking down.
“There’s a Jacobin meeting at a priory on Rue Saint-Honoré,” Maria answered as she grabbed a croissant, nibbling on it absentmindedly. “I have to be there at 10. That’ll probably take up a good part of my day.”
Juste and Alucard glanced at the clock hanging on the living room wall. Maria followed their eyes and nearly choked on her croissant. 9:55.
“Shit!” she hissed as she placed her barely eaten croissant on the table and abruptly stood up. “And I told them I was going to be there early too! I have to go.”
Alucard frowned as he stared at Maria’s retreating form.
“Maria, you should at least eat the rest of your breakfast,” he suggested. “Croissants are portable you know.”
“What?” Maria asked, completely distracted as she slipped her shoes on. “No, it’s fine, I’m not that hungry anyway. Besides, they usually serve food at these meetings. I can grab something there. I’ll see you both tonight.” And with that, Maria was out the door.
Juste and Alucard looked at each other as soon as Maria was gone.
“How many nights has it been this week?” Juste asked.
“Four.” Alucard answered, no further clarification necessary. “Double what it was nearly a week ago.”
Juste sighed. “I’m not very good at the whole ‘talking about your feelings’ thing. Never have been. But I’m worried about the girl.”
Alucard nodded in understanding. “The intensity of her emotions last night was stronger than in previous nights. I’ve lived long enough to know where that level of sorrow leads if it goes unchecked. Especially in someone as young as Maria.”
“You think we should do it tonight then?”
Thanks to one of her birds, Maria was able to get to the priory in record time, rushing through the doors as soon as the meeting started. A man behind her cleared his throat before she was able to go any further. He pointed to the balconies above them and Maria huffed in annoyance.
“Fucking sexist asshole.” she mumbled as she brushed past the man and went upstairs to sit with the other women in the balcony.
This patriarchal rule frustrated Maria to no end. Women could still participate in revolutionary meetings, but they needed to stay in the balconies while the men were on the ground floor. She pitched a fit the first time she was told to go to the balcony. She was kicked out the first time, and the second time she was told that she would be banned from all future revolutionary meetings if she stayed on the ground floor. This was Paris, supposedly a more liberal city than her hometown of Machecoul. Yet back home, she could lead revolutionary meetings and sit wherever she wanted. This felt like a major step backwards. How could one expect to lead a revolution when the patriarchy was so stagnantly prioritized?
In addition to this, Maria found herself hating this building. It reminded her too much of the abbey back home, even though the two structures couldn’t have looked more different. But still, it was a religious structure, the same kind of structure where her “father” had tried to sacrifice her last year, the same structure where Erszebet had turned Tera. Then again, it was also similar to the structure in which she had taken her revenge, summoned a creature from who knows where and killed her father for his multiple crimes against humanity. Maria smiled at the memory. It felt good to have that power. The power to crush senseless old men in the palm of her hand, much like the men in this building.
“-And two vampires were spotted a few blocks away from Notre-Dame.”
Maria’s ears perked up, broken out of her reverie.
“We don’t know if they’re new to the area or if they’re strays from the war a few months ago.” Continued the speaker at the podium.
“What did they look like?” Maria found herself asking, making sure her voice was loud enough to be heard from the balcony.
“What does it matter?” a familiar, annoyed voice retorted. “A vampire is a vampire.”
Maria rolled her eyes. “Because, Antoine, if I know what they look like, I’ll have a better idea if they’re monarchy sympathizers or if they just strolled in from out of town. Then I can ascertain how dangerous they are, which will make it easier to eradicate them.”
A few laughs were heard throughout the hall.
“With all due respect, Miss Renard, I’m sure the soldiers in our ranks are more than capable of eradicating the vampires. You don’t need to worry your pretty little head about them.” Antoine responded condescendingly.
But Maria wasn’t having any of it. “Need I remind you that I was part of the vanguard that defeated the strongest vampires back in January? The Jacobins had no idea how to fight vampires until the Son of Dracula arrived on their doorstep. I’ve been killing these things for most of my life.”
A few murmurs were heard in the hall. Due to the lack of sleep and already being in a bad mood, Maria was feeling extra vindictive.
“And who do you think is going to take care of them, Antoine? You?” Maria smiled maliciously. “The last time you faced a vampire, you pissed yourself and cried outside the Louvre. ‘Oh Miss Renard, please save me!’ you begged. Or have you already forgotten?”
Laughter reverberated off of the priory walls as a red-faced Antoine sank into his seat. Maria felt a surge of pride at having humiliated that obnoxious little weasel.
“So, I ask again, what did the vampires look like?”
Sounds of uncomfortable shuffling followed.
“Two males, average build, wearing black cloaks.” The man at the podium finally replied.
Maria nodded, though she couldn’t help but feel a tinge of disappointment. “I’ll patrol the city borders tonight. I’ll report back if I find them.”
The rest of the meeting was uneventful, and Maria was only too glad to leave. As she walked down the street, she became aware of a young man walking alongside her. Claude. She’d caught him staring at her during the last few meetings.
“I must say, Miss Renard, that was quite a tongue lashing you gave Antoine,” Claude complimented, taking larger strides so he could keep up with Maria. “This is exactly why we need more women at these meetings. Somebody needs to keep knaves like Antoine in their place.”
Maria didn’t respond, unsure if she wanted to tolerate Claude’s presence. An awkward silence passed before Claude spoke again.
“You’re quite feisty, a lot of bite in you. I’ve never met a lady who just says whatever she wants in a room full of men. I… find it quite attractive if I’m to be quite honest.”
Maria stopped with a sigh and turned to the young man.
“Is there something you need from me, Claude?” she asked, tired and disinterested.
Claude delicately took Maria’s hand in his and kissed the top of it. “I’m so glad you asked, my dear! I was thinking I could take you to lunch at this little café I know! Perhaps we can get to know each other a little better?”
Maria grimaced when she felt Claude’s slimy lips touch her hand. She pulled away from him and stepped back.
“Thanks, but no thanks,” she replied. “Didn’t you hear me back in the priory? I need to patrol the city and find those vampires.”
Claude faltered a little but quickly recovered. “B-but surely you can’t hunt vampires on an empty stomach! Please accompany me to lunch. It’ll be my treat.”
“I already said no.” Maria said curtly, her patience with Claude run completely dry. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”
Maria turned away before Claude could say anything else. She drew a circle in the air and grabbed her bird’s talon, flying farther and farther away from all annoyances.
