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Chapter Text

He didn’t know how long he’d been searching. If Alfred had stopped to think about it, he might have realized he didn’t know what he was searching for either. But search he did - frantically, desperately, and without tire even as his bones ached and begged him to rest. Brushing thorns and thickets aside, then the rusted gates to a castle…the heavy iron doors….cobwebs that seemed to hang in every hall and every corridor.

He panted, his breath creating little clouds in the otherwise eerily still air as he leaned against another door, this one more stubborn than the others. Were the hinges rusted shut as well?

He grit his teeth, planting his feet against the icy floor as he shoved again. A bit of give, another shove, and then he was tumbling into the room, panting with relief.

And when he looked up he saw it.

A sliver of moonlight through the ruined roof illuminated the coffin; perfect and sparkling like it was chiseled from ice, or crystal. The figure in it was obscured, the light passing through the walls of the sarcophagus distorting the image. But they looked pale, as white as the snow that had blanketed the floor around it.

He approached, the crunch of his boots in the snow almost deafeningly loud to his ears. He stopped an arm’s length from the coffin, his eyes glued to the distorted image of the figure within.

They were garbed in lavender, he could tell that much. Their face was still obscured, but he leaned in closer, his breath fogging the flawless crystal surface.

His fingers twitched, and of their own accord moved to the silver latch that held the coffin closed. It seemed so small, so delicate, like it was holding shut a jewelry box and not the final resting place of…well, he didn’t know.

His fingers flicked open the latch.

~~~~

“Having to clear out MY laboratory for that halfwit, Alibori, bah!”

“But, Professor–” Alfred hazarded as he delicately filed through the stack of papers before him. “...wasn’t this Alibori’s to begin with? You only took over it when he went on sabbatical…”

“For a full year!” Abronsius harrumphed, slamming a crate onto the table and making Alfred wince from the sound of shattering glass within. “If the fool didn’t want someone else occupying this space, he shouldn’t have left it for so long! Stop fiddling with those papers, boy, you’ll organize them later. Just put them in the box and move on to the next pile. That villain’s going to be here any minute. Didn’t even give us proper warning.”

“It is odd, isn’t it?” Alfred asked as he – with great regret – simply stuffed the papers into the offered box. He’d be up for hours trying to sort through all of Abronsius’s notes and essays to properly categorize them again…not that the Professor had been particularly organized about his research beforehand. For someone who preached endlessly about reason, Alfred found a hard time finding any in his filing system.

“What is?” Abronsius sniffed as he squinted at a nearby beaker. Either he had been examining a colony of mold in it…or something had been left to fester for far too long.

“Well–” Alfred stammered. “Just – that he’s returning on such short notice. Months with not so much as a letter letting the University know when he’ll return, and then all of a sudden a messenger saying to expect him by nightfall?”

“Alibori’s always been unreliable,” Abronsius grumbled as he tossed the possible-mold-colony into a rubbish bin. “It’s just like him to do this too, bah! Expecting us to acquiesce to his every request. Boy – stop fiddling with those papers already and make yourself useful. Take these crates back to my office for now.”

“Yes, Professor,” Alfred quickly bowed his head and scrambled away from his post, eager to get out of the dusty and probably spore-infested air of the commandeered lab. He bent to pick up the crates in question, and grimaced when he felt some unknown liquid leaking through the slats.

Another mess I’ll have to clean up, he thought with great exhaustion before he began to dutifully make the journey back to Abronsius’s office.

It didn’t even make sense to take over Alibori’s lab like this, Alfred mused on his fifth trip back, with how far apart Alibori and Abronsius’s offices were from each other. Despite being Professors of Archaeology, the Dean seemed determined to keep them as far apart from each other as possible.

Probably for the best, Alfred thought to himself as he stepped into the lab long enough to hear Abronsius’s angry muttering as he picked up another crate, turned, and left again. He didn’t know Alibori as well – he had only been Abronsius’s assistant for a handful of weeks before Alibori left for his sabbatical – but he knew Abronsius enough to know that he would be positively volatile if left in Alibori’s company for too long. Any mention of the other professor invited an eruption of angry sputtering about how his research and theories had been stolen and plagiarized. He was already festering worse than that suspicious mold colony.

On the seventh trip, Alfred stumbled back as he nearly bumped into a tall, refined looking man standing just outside the door. He stared coolly down at Alfred, and arched one snowy eyebrow.

“I don’t recall leaving such a mess in my lab the last time I was here,” Alibori mused as he stared disdainfully down at the array of papers and notebooks in the crate Alfred clutched to his chest.

“Ah! Alibori, you return!” Abronsius called from within the lab, his tone pleasant and amiable and nothing like the displeased grumbling it had been a moment ago. “Where have you been? I was starting to think you had fallen into some icy ditch and died a horrible, slow death!” Ah, there was the vitriol.

“Sorry to disappoint, old friend,” Alibori drawled. “The towns I was studying were quite secluded; sending word to the outside world became quite troublesome.”

“It sounds quite peaceful! A shame you did not stay longer.”

“I see you’ve made yourself at home,” Alibori stepped past Alfred, barely sparing the boy a passing glance as he surveyed the destruction inside his laboratory.

“I kept the place warm for you,” Abronsius sniffed.

“Hm. With toxic fumes, I suspect.”

Alibori turned then, and for one terrifying moment Alfred thought he was about to be addressed, but Alibori’s cold gaze slid past him to a commotion behind Alfred and –

“No, gentlemen, put that in my personal office. The other boxes you can leave outside until Abronsius vacates his unmentionables.”

“Why you–”

Abronsius’s angry tittering faded to Alfred’s ears as he turned to stare at the large wooden crate Alibori’s exhausted aids were moving. It was longer than the tallest of the laborers, and wide and deep as well. There were several carefully placed signs glued to every facet, dictating “This side up” and “Handle with care.”

Other than the signs and the size of it, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about the crate. And yet Alfred couldn’t tear his eyes away from it as the laborers carefully carried it down the corridor. A trail of cold seemed to follow it…

They’re like coffin bearers, Alfred suddenly thought with a jolt. And unbidden he thought of a ruined room filled with snow, a single shaft of moonlight illuminating a diamond coffin…

“Boy, have you gone deaf?”

Alfred jumped and turned to face Abronsius’s displeased stare. “Sorry Professor?”

“I said to pick up the pace – the sooner my research is out of Alibori’s den the better.”

Alfred nodded, and hurried down the corridor towards Abronsius’s office. Away from Abronsius, Alibori, and the strange crate.

It’s probably nothing, Alfred told himself as he was taking the last of the boxes of odds and ends to Abronsius’s office. It’s only a box, probably filled with equipment for his research.

Still, Alfred couldn’t shake the memory of cold glass on his fingertips and a distorted, snowy figure clad in lavender.

Chapter Text

He stared down at the distorted figure behind the glass, the fog from his breath only further obscuring their face in the crystal.

Open it, Alfred screamed at himself. Just open it!

His fingers felt like lead, even as he flicked open the latch. Lifting the lid was even more nerve-wracking. He was almost afraid his heavy-handed, clumsy touch would shatter the whole thing.

But it was light, and it opened easily; not like the rusted, frozen doors that had blocked his way here. Almost like the coffin wanted to be opened.

But his care for the delicate crystal of the coffin left him as he stared down at the man who lay within.

He looks like a prince, Alfred thought to himself as he stared at the sleek expanse of white-gold hair that fanned around his head. The only color to his face was the bit of rogue on his cheeks, the dark red paint on his lips, the dusting of matching lavender on his eyelids. By far the most pampered corpse he’d ever seen.

Without realizing himself, Alfred reached out to draw a curious finger down the line of the man’s sharp cheekbones, his jawline…

If this were a fairytale, Alfred mused, He would be awoken by the kiss of another prince, or a knight.

How sad then, that the only person to have found him was poor Alfred. He was neither prince nor knight, and in no place to be rescuing pretty maidens…or pretty men.

Oh? A voice Alfred could only be half-sure was his own mind asked. But you seem gallant and handsome enough to me.

Alfred flushed, but his eyes remained glued to the corpse’s face.

Why don’t you try, anyways?

Alfred’s eyes darted to the dark-painted lips.

“ALFRED!”

Alfred jolted up, head smacking against the Professor’s. Both cursed and rubbed at their foreheads, and Alfred blinked blearily at the old man.

“Professor?” he asked, his voice still thick with sleep.

“Bah, who else?” the Professor grumbled as he adjusted his glasses. “Get dressed, boy.”

“What time is it?” Alfred asked as he pulled up his suspenders.

“One in the morning. We’re sneaking into Alibori’s office.”

“We’re WHAT?”

“Shush! Do you want to wake the whole university?” Abronsius’s mustache twitched in displeasure. “He’s brought something back. You saw how big that crate was: that was coffin sized, my boy.”

“I…” Alfred swallowed, and thought of a crystal coffin illuminated by moonlight. “I know.”

“Hmph, something in your brain is working then. Tell me, then, what do you suppose Alibori brought back?”

“I…” All Alfred could think of was the pale figure in lavender, and he shook his head. “I don’t…”

“Think! Alibori steals my research on vampires, takes credit for my theories, then goes on “sabbatical” through the Carpathians, where much of my research was collected from?”

Alfred felt something cold settle in his stomach. “You think he…he brought back a…”

“It’s my current theory, yes, and there’s only one way to test it!”

Fifteen minutes later saw Alfred crawling through the tiny window to Albori’s office (surely pulling something in the process) and unlocking the door from the inside for Abronsius, who made a beeline for the lone crate in question.

“Don’t dawdle my boy: open it!”

Alfred’s fingers trembled around the hammer as he pulled back the nails one by one. When the lid was freed enough, Abronsius threw it open, and Alfred let out a breath.

It wasn’t made of glass was the first thing he thought.

But it was a coffin.

An awfully plain one, he thought to himself. The wood was light, cheap, and unsanded in most places. But his eyes were drawn to the heavy wooden crucifix that had been nailed to the lid, and he felt something curl in his stomach again.

“A-ha! What did I tell you, boy?” Abronsius cackled, and motioned to the coffin. “Open it.”

“What?” Alfred’s voice went up a pitch as he stared at Abronsius. “Professor–”

“Oh, use your brain, boy. Is there anything moving in there?”

Alfred hazarded another look at the coffin, and he shook his head.

“That’s right! Any beast trapped in there would be making quite a ruckus, even with the crucifix on top. No, I suspect whatever is in there is either asleep or dead. Safe enough to take a peak, I think.”

So with trembling fingers, Alfred opened the lid to the coffin.

A heavy CLANG rang out throughout the office as the hammer slipped from his fingers and clattered onto the floor.

“Bah! Be careful, boy! We can’t be caught here!” Abronsius hissed, but Alfred’s eyes were frozen to the figure in the coffin.

The white-gold hair was in more disarray than it had been in his dream, and the rogue and paint on his lips looked more faded and worn. And even though his clothes seemed a little torn and dirtied in some places, the soft lavender color to them was as distinctive as ever.

Alfred felt a little light-headed.

“I can’t believe it,” Abronsius hissed. “The bastard actually caught a live specimen.”

“Live?” Alfred croaked.

“Do you smell that?” Abronsius made two loud sniffs of the air. “That’s right - death, but no visible signs of decay on the body. And this!”

Abronsius grabbed one of the man’s hands, lifted it, and wiggled it at the wrist.

“No signs of rigor mortis!”

He let the hand fall back limply onto the man’s chest.

“This man is not dead, Alfred: he is merely undead! A vampire!”

“Why…” Alfred couldn’t stop staring at the motionless man. “It…it’s night. Aren’t they supposed to be active during this time? Why isn’t he…awake?”

“Hm,” Abronsius’s mustache twitched as he squinted down at the vampire, and he experimentally poked the man’s hand again. “Hibernation would be my guess. Like a bear, going into a deep sleep to survive times of food scarcity.”

“So,” Alfred licked his lips. “What would…what would wake him up?”

“Oh, don’t worry boy,” Abronsius waved his hand. “As long as you don’t open a vein in front of his nose, I don’t think we need to worry about this demon waking any time soon. Now, let’s close him back up. Can’t have Alibori knowing that we’ve been here.”

It was almost with regret that Alfred closed the coffin and the crate back over the sleeping vampire’s face. Hammering the nails back into place felt wrong, when all he wanted to do was open the glass cover to see his face more clearly once more…

“Sh! Do you hear that?” Abronsius gripped Alfred’s arm, and the boy froze. Was it the vampire? No…no the sounds of footsteps in the hall.

“Alibori!” Abronsius hissed, and before Alfred could react Abronsius was pulling Alfred deeper into the office, into the wardrobe where they could hide.

Alfred held his breath, only in part to try and ignore the musty smell of mothballs, and peaked through the sliver of the open door as the tall, lean figure of Professor Alibori strode into the room, accompanied by a well-groomed young man with lightly curled blonde hair. Sebastian, Alibori’s assistant and Alfred’s senior by two years.

Alfred felt something in his stomach twist.

“I’m sorry sir; I was certain I’d heard something,” Sebastian frowned, lifting his oil lantern a little higher as he peered into the room. Alfred and Abronsius both leaned back, further into the darkness of the wardrobe.

“Everything seems to be in order,” Alibori hummed, his wrinkled hand tracing the wooden slats of the crate. “...open it, to be sure.”

There was some huffing and grunting as Sebastian pulled out the nails that Alfred had so painstakingly returned, and Alibori stared impassively down as both crate and coffin lid were removed.

“...you sure he’s not going to wake up, Professor?” Sebastian asked warily. Alibori snorted.

“He could have awoken and escaped before we came here, or on the train, or when I found him. He’s not going to wake now.”

Alibori hummed then, and glanced over at Sebastian. “Dr. Hesselius sent word?”

Sebastian nodded. “Yes sir; he’ll be here in two days time.”

“Good,” Alibori’s eyes shifted back to the sleeping form of the vampire. “We’ll be able to properly study this specimen, then.”

“How exciting,” Sebastian smiled brightly, his eyes glinting in the moonlight. “You’ll be the first scientist to perform a vivisection on a vampire!”

Alfred’s heart caught in his throat as Alibori offered Sebastian a patronizing smile.

“Now now: it’s only vivisection if they’re alive. Either way you look at it, our subject is undoubtedly deceased. Autopsy is the correct term, my boy.”

Alfred barely registered how Abronsius was shaking with anger beside him. He was trembling too, the conversation between Alibori and Sebastian drowned out by the beating of his own heart in his ears.

“That bastard!” Abronsius burst out of the wardrobe, jerking Alfred out of his stupor. Alibori and Sebastian were gone, he realized. They must have left while he…

“He steals my research, takes credit for my theories, and now he gets to examine the first captured vampire specimen?!” Abronsius spat and hissed like a cat, pacing angrily around the crate. It had been left open, though the coffin lid had been closed once more. Alfred shakily stared at it.

“We can’t…” Alfred turned to face the Professor, his eyes wide. “We can’t let him do this.”

“Of course we can’t! I’ll eat my hat before I allow that imposter a foothold above me in the study of the occult!” Abronsius huffed.

“No, I mean–” Alfred turned his distressed gaze to the coffin. “He’s…alive, or…or undead, but still! We can’t let him do that to a…a person.”

Here Abronsius stopped, his thick snowy brows furrowing.

“A person? A vampire is no longer a person, my boy. They’re reanimated flesh: a demon walking around in a human skin-suit. There’s nothing personable about them.”

“But…” Alfred continued to stare at the coffin. “I…”

“You what? Speak up boy.”

Alfred swallowed.

“I’ve dreamt about him.”

There was silence from Abronsius, and when Alfred warily turned to glance back at the Professor, he saw him squinting back at him.

“For how long?” Abronsius asked.

“Just since last night,” Alfred admitted. “And again before you woke me.”

“The same dream?”

“Yes, Professor.”

“What happens in it?”

“Well,” Alfred licked his lips. “I’m…searching for something. There’s a…a thicket of thorns, and then a castle that’s been abandoned. I follow the labyrinth of the corridors, and I try every door until…”

“Until?” Abronsius prompted.

“I get to his room,” Alfred’s voice went soft. “The roof’s broken, and snow’s gotten everywhere, and…he’s in the middle, in a coffin made of glass. I open it, and…”

And I think about kissing him.

“...and then I wake up.”

Abronsius grumbled, mustache twitching again as he looked down.

“I’ve heard reports of vampires having…telepathic abilities,” he said as he scratched at his cheek. “The ability to shape dreams…you’ve had this dream twice now? The first being last night?”

Alfred nodded.

“Hmph. That would have been when Alibori arrived back in Königsberg. The vampire might have been in range, then…it’s possible he’s reaching out telepathically to you.”

Alfred flushed. “What for?”

“To trick you into waking him, of course!” Abronsius huffed. “Oh, but this is wonderful! You’ve had telepathic contact with one! We’ll have to do a thorough study. But not here; we must get you away from the specimen I think.”

“What?” Alfred protested, but Abronsius was already shoving him towards the door.

“Now now, boy, I have many questions for you and very little time to do so before Alibori gets ahead of us!”

Alfred cast one last look at the lone coffin, and the shard of moonlight that fell upon it.

If this were a fairytale…, he thought again as Abronsius and he snuck away from Alibori’s office.

But it’s not, he chided himself. You’re not a prince or a knight, and what’s inside that coffin is not some innocent maiden.

But when he closed his eyes again to catch the last few hours of sleep before sunrise, he was there again, staring at the glittering open casket and the man in lavender within.

It couldn’t hurt to try, he thought to himself. It’s not as if this is a fairytale. It won’t work.

But it’s still worth a try.

He leaned in.

The lips he brushed against were cold, unyielding, but after a moment they…they warmed. They moved against his, soft and pliant and yearning. Something ached in Alfred’s chest as his eyes slowly opened, just in time to meet the bright, blue-eyed gaze of the man beneath him.

When he woke again, Alfred’s mouth was dry, and his heart felt tight in his chest.

Chapter Text

If Alfred did not listen too closely to Abronsius’s ramblings or his professors’ lectures that day, neither seemed to notice. For once, his tendency to be shy and quiet and very unremarkable was a boon, for no one looked at him close enough to see that his thoughts were miles away.

No, not miles. His thoughts were closer than that; they were in this very building, down the corridors and in Alibori’s office where the vampire slept.

He’s not a person, Alfred tried to tell himself. He’s a blood-sucking fiend. You’ve heard the Professor’s stories. We’ll all be better off with him dead.

But Alibori wasn’t just planning on killing him. He was planning on…on…

The Professor says the only ways to kill them are to stake the heart, to remove the head, or to purge through fire or sun.

So what if Alibori…cutting him open didn’t kill him?

What if he could feel it?

Alfred had dissected a frog once, and had nearly thrown up from that alone. He thought of Alibori doing the same, of his bright-eyed assistant Sebastian grinning as he held a pair of gleaming forceps at the ready while Alibori took a scalpel…

No! Alfred slammed his notebook shut, startling the student next to him. But he paid the other boy no mind as he rose and strode with purpose out of the classroom.

He would have to do this alone, but that was for the best. It was good that Alfred had no friends waiting for him during his lunch hour, because no one missed him when he used the time to head into town, to the butcher’s shop instead.

Abronsius tuttered over him a bit more, but Alfred gave him the bare minimum of attention, and Abronsius - so caught up in his own theorizing - didn’t seem to notice.

That was good, Alfred thought as he gripped the flask hidden in his coat.

Abronsius would have tried to stop him.

When night fell and the students and professors went to sleep, Alfred again squeezed through the tiny window into Alibori’s office and stumbled over to the crate and coffin.

Only then did he falter, as he stared down at the closed coffin with the crucifix firmly placed atop it.

You didn’t think this through, a voice that sounded suspiciously like Professor Abronsius’s scolded Alfred. Will one flask of pig’s blood really be enough to sate a vampire that’s gone months without feeding?

Hibernation, the Professor had called it. Like a bear.

He’d met an old hunter who had been mauled by a bear, once. His arm had been torn clean off. Alfred wondered idly whether being attacked by a bear or a vampire was worse.

But he thought again of Alibori, of the doctor that was arriving tomorrow to help him…vivisect the vampire.

No one deserved that. Not even a blood-sucking demon.

Be brave, Alfred.

So with trembling fingers he pried the crucifix off the coffin lid…and then clutched it tightly to his chest, just for security as he opened the coffin.

He took another moment to stare down at the sleeping vampire once more, at the pale hair framing his face and the glittering lavender clothes he wore.

Abronsius had always described vampires as skulking, shadowy things that lurked in graveyards and crypts. Even asleep, this man seemed the antithesis of everything Abronsius had said. Even with how his fine clothes had been marred by dirt, he seemed more at home at the opulence of Marie Antoinette’s Versailles than he did a dark and dusty crypt.

Maybe…Abronsius was wrong, Alfred thought. And if he was wrong about that…maybe he’s wrong about more.

Maybe…just maybe…this vampire wouldn’t sink his teeth into poor, stupid Alfred’s throat as thanks for waking him.

He thought about how soft the vampire’s eyes had looked in the dream, about how his painted lips had curled into that gentle smile.

Steeling himself, Alfred took the flask out of his jacket pocket and uncorked it one-handed. He paused, his eyes searching the vampire’s face.

Abronsius said merely opening a vein in his presence would be enough…Alfred hoped the smell of the pig’s blood would suffice.

But there was no movement, not even a flicker of the eyelids, and so Alfred let out a shaky breath and moved the flask closer. Closer. Until he was wafting the opening in front of the vampire’s nose like smelling salts. Still nothing.

So focused was he on the vampire’s face and the thumping of his own heart in his chest, Alfred did not realize the door was opening until too late, and his head shot up as he stared at Sebastian, standing in the half-opened doorway.

“You.”

“Um.” Alfred immediately jerked his hands away from the vampire, clutching the flask tight to his chest. Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

“Who are you? What are you doing here? This is Professor Alibori’s private study.” Sebastian demanded.

“I…”

Sebastian’s eyes darted from the open casket to Alfred’s face, and his eyebrows narrowed further.

“What’s in the flask?”

“Water,” Alfred squeaked immediately.

Sebastian scoffed, and reached out as if to snatch the flask away, but before he could Alfred brought the flask to his lips and sucked in a mouthful of the pig’s blood and tried not to gag. Sebastian recoiled, glaring at Alfred.

“I’m getting Professor Alibori,” Sebastian said. “And then we’ll deal with you.”

Alfred just mutely nodded his head, eyes wide and mouth firmly clamped shut as he held the pig’s blood in his mouth. Sebastian turned, and as soon as he did Alfred turned as well to spit out the pig’s blood. He shuddered, but knowing the had little time to spare he dropped the crucifix to the ground as he used one hand to try and pry the vampire’s mouth open, the other tipping the flask and the remaining pig’s blood into the vampire’s mouth.

For one, terrifying moment, there was nothing. And then Alfred’s heart near stopped in his chest as the vampire’s hand suddenly shot up, icy fingers gripping around Alfred’s wrist like a vice. Alfred gasped as he found himself faced with an icy, hungry blue gaze.

Not a fairytale, not a fairytale!

Alfred just managed to wrench his wrist back, and the vampire below him panted as he stared up at Alfred.

“It’s you,” he said.

And then that hungry gaze lowered to the residual blood dripping from Alfred’s lips.

There was a clatter as the vampire scrambled out of the coffin, and then Alfred found himself pinned to the ground as the vampire hungrily licked his way into Alfred’s mouth, lapping at the residual pig’s blood while Alfred squirmed and went red in the face.

He wondered if the hunter had been aggressively licked by the bear, too, before it had torn his arm off.

“What the–?” Sebastian had returned, and was staring down at the vampire straddling Alfred’s waist. The vampire released Alfred’s mouth, sitting abruptly up with a flick of his silver hair to turn his icy gaze to Sebastian. His blood-stained lips pulled back into a snarl, revealing glimmering white fangs, and he hissed.

“PROFESSOR ALIBORI!” Sebastian yelled as he scrambled backwards, slamming the door shut behind him. The vampire huffed, and brushed his blonde hair over his shoulder.

“Absolutely no manners,” he grumbled.

“Please,” Alfred squeaked, and the vampire’s bright gaze snapped down to look at Alfred’s face. “Please don’t kill me.”

The vampire’s eyebrows shot up, and then he smiled serenely down at Alfred – a sight that might have been more welcome had the vampire’s lips not still been stained with blood, and his fangs still gleaming in the moonlight.

“Kill my gallant knight?” the vampire laughed. “Why, I would never do such a thing!”

“Oh,” Alfred squeaked. “Could you, um,” his ears turned red. “Could you maybe…please…get off me then?”

One of the vampire’s eyebrows quirked upwards, and his dark lips curled into a smirk. For a moment Alfred feared he would say no, but then the vampire fluidly rose to his feet, and held out a hand to help Alfred do the same. After a moment’s hesitation, Alfred took the offered hand – his hands were soft he dimly realized – and stood, only to continue to look up at the vampire and oh. Oh he was tall.

Alfred felt a little light-headed.

“Forgive me,” the vampire purred. “I’m afraid I was a little savage there. How terribly rude of me.”

He gave a sweeping bow then, and pressed a light kiss to the back of Alfred’s hand.

“I am the viscount Herbert von Krolock,” he coyly glanced up at Alfred from underneath his eyelashes. “Might I know my savior’s name?”

“A…” Alfred licked his lips, and suddenly worried about his palms being too sweaty. “Alfred.”

“Alfred.” Herbert kept hold of Alfred’s hand as he straightened to his full height and took a step closer, into Alfred’s personal space. Alfred gulped as he stared up at the vampire.

Why was he so tall?!

“I truly cannot thank you enough, cheri, for waking me from my slumber,” Herbert grinned down at Alfred, his thumb stroking over the skin of his hand. “Words seem so trivial. Is there perhaps another way I could properly show my gratitude? A reward I could give you?”

“Wh…” Alfred really was feeling light-headed. “Reward?”

Herbert’s lips parted as if to answer, but then his head snapped to the side and his eyes narrowed in annoyance as he stared at the closed door.

“Oh, that boy from before is back,” he sniffed. “Sounds like he’s bringing company, too. How annoying. Where am I, anyhow?”

“K-Königsberg University,” Alfred stammered. “You were brought here by Professor Alibori.”

“Never heard of him,” Herbert flicked his hair over his shoulder. “Is he the one harrumphing every two words?”

“Professor Abronsius!” Alfred’s heart sank. “He’s on his way too?”

“By the sounds of it,” Herbert’s nose scrunched up. “They don’t sound particularly appetizing, but…”

“W-wait!” Panic spiked in Alfred’s chest, and without thinking he grabbed Herbert’s sleeve. “Don’t kill them, please! I…I’ll help you escape, I can get you back to where you came from, just please don’t kill them!”

Herbert turned his cold blue eyes back to Alfred, and for one terrifying moment Alfred feared that whatever…amusement the vampire had found in him had expired. He would be killed, and the vampire would either move on to Professor Abronsius or simply flee into the night, leaving Alfred a crumpled mess on Alibori’s floor to be cleaned out like the rest of Abronsius’s mistakes.

But then Herbert’s lips, still stained dark from the pig’s blood, curled into a smile.

“Whatever my savior demands,” he purred.

Before Alfred could wrap his head around that, the door to the office burst open; Alibori, Sebastian, and Abronsius all standing at the threshold.

“I told you!” Sebastian hissed.

“Alfred? Boy?” Abronsius called, his wizened eyes wide.

“Step away from the boy!” Alibori demanded, and he thrust forward a crucifix. Herbert recoiled and snarled at the Professor, eyes glinting dangerously and teeth elongated once more.

And then his arm was wrapping tightly around Alfred’s waist, and before Alfred could so much as yell Herbert was leaping off one of the tables and hurtling through Alibori’s office window. Alfred flinched at the sound of breaking glass, but Herbert had curled his body around Alfred protectively. They rolled onto the grass of the university lawn, and Alfred caught Herbert’s bright-eyed, wild grin before he was swept up in the vampire’s arms again, and racing across the university grounds. Alfred could only turn his face to hide it against Herbert’s chest from the stinging wind.

And over the howl of the air rushing past his ears, Alfred heard Herbert’s bright, exhilarated laugh.

Chapter Text

“You can let go of me now, darling.”

Alfred practically dropped from Herbert’s grasp, pale and shaking and his legs like jelly. He leaned against the nearest solid surface, then flinched back when he saw that he was leaning against a balcony overlooking a very long drop.

“Where are we?”

“I was hoping you could tell me!” Herbert spun around with a laugh.

“I’ve never…” Alfred stepped away from the edge and blinked at the sight of the city before him. “Are we…is this…Königsberg Castle..?”

“It’s a castle. I thought it seemed as good a spot to get our bearings as any,” Herbert brushed airly past Alfred so he could lean against the balcony. The wind tugged at his long pale hair, and his eyes were bright as he took in the sight of the city.

“You…” Alfred licked his lips as Herbert turned his bright-eyed gaze back to him, and his fingers dug into the mortar behind him.

“You kidnapped me!”

“What?” Herbert blinked at Alfred, his eyes wide. “They were attacking us!”

“You! You could have just run away!”

“But you were the one who freed me, wouldn’t they have been angry with you?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“And I thought you said you would help me get back home,” Herbert added with a pout.

“Help…” Alfred blinked at Herbert, and dimly remembered that yes, he did say that, when he was pleading with the vampire to not kill Abronsius and Alibori.

“You…do you need my help?” Alfred asked. “You moved so quickly, I…surely I would only slow you down.”

Herbert continued to pout, and he turned to look out at the rest of Königsberg.

“I’ve never been to this part of Europe before,” he said with a huff. “And the last time I left Transylvania’s borders, it was still part of the Ottoman Empire.”

“The Ottoman…” Alfred felt light-headed again. “That was…that was late seventeenth century.”

“I’m aware,” Herbert sniffed.

“That was…that was over two hundred years ago.”

“I’m aware.”

“I’m sorry,” Alfred stammered, one hand coming to his forehead. “I just…”

“Oh,” Herbert’s eyes widened, and he was at Alfred’s side in an instant. Alfred flinched as the vampire’s cold fingers brushed against his forehead.

“Oh you poor dear, you’ve had such a stressful night,” Herbert cooed. “You’re paler than me, and you’re trembling…”

“I’m fine,” Alfred squeaked.

“And it’s so chilly up here! You must be freezing!”

Before Alfred could protest, Hebert had thrown his arms out and pulled Alfred in close, flush against his chest as he wrapped his cloak around the both of them.

“There!” Herbert declared, sounding very pleased with himself. “To protect you from the wind!”

“I..” Alfred stammered and flushed. “I’m not…”

“And I still need to give you your reward,” Herbert purred, leaning his face down. Alfred squeaked as the vampire nuzzled into the crook of his neck.

“I think I know just the thing…”

The scrape of teeth against his neck was enough to shake Alfred out of his stupor. “No!” He yelped, and scrambled to get away from Herbert, tripping over his own feet and laying with his back to the tower wall.

“Don’t bite me!” he breathed. “Don’t – don’t hurt me!”

Herbert was pouting again. “It’ll only hurt a little, and just at the beginning,” he said. “And after you’ll be so much stronger…”

“No,” Alfred insisted again as his heart beat rapidly in his chest. “No I…I can’t help you if I’m…”

Herbert arched an eyebrow. “You can’t?”

“I…” Alfred licked his lips. “It…wouldn’t it be easier? If you had someone who could…who could help navigate during the day? I may not be…be strong or…or fast, but I can at least walk in the sunlight. Can you?”

Herbert crossed his arms over his chest, one eyebrow arched as he watched Alfred. He tilted his head, his eyes going distant in thought.

“So, what you’re saying is…” Herbert hummed, and glanced over to Alfred as a slow, sly smirk spread onto his lips. “You will help me get home?”

Alfred stopped. His mouth fell open, and he raised a hand as if to dispute…

…and then an aggravated huff left him, and he turned to pace as he carded his fingers through his hair.

He could feel Herbert’s eyes still on him.

He could say no. He could, in theory, say no. And…at best…be stranded at the top of Königsberg Castle where he would probably, eventually, be arrested for trespassing.

And at worst….

Alfred glanced warily over at the vampire.

“...do I have a choice?”

Herbert’s eyebrows shot up.

“There’s always a choice, darling,” he said with a wave of his hand. “And if you choose to leave poor, starving, delicate me to fend for myself, why…I suppose I’ll just languish here. Alone.”

Alfred watched with some disbelief as the vampire dramatically draped himself over the balcony, sighing with great melancholy as he stared forlornly across the rooftops.

“So far from home,” he moaned. “With not a friend in the world…abandoned by the gallant knight who rescued me…oh, but who am I to try and force him to aid me? He’s already done so much, I could not ask him for more–”

“Alright!” Alfred’s hand went to rub at his forehead as his eyes pinched closed.

“Where…” he sighed. “You…you said you’re from Transylvania?”

“Yes,” Herbert sighed, still gazing sadly off into the distance. “The nearest city is…oh, I can’t remember. Sighișoara? Târgu Mureș? I can’t remember – “near” is such a silly term, father’s castle is leagues away from any proper civilization, save for a tiny little hovel of a town nearby. Nothing but mountains and wolf-infested woods, otherwise.”

“That’s…” Alfred rubbed his forehead. “That's on the other side of Poland."

"Is that so far?" Herbert asked.

“It has to be at least fifteen hundred kilometers.”

“...is that so far?”

Alfred stared at Herbert, who simply blinked back at him.

He was beginning to see why the vampire needed help getting back home.

“...it’s farther than I’ve ever gone,” Alfred admitted, looking down.

“Oh,” Herbert deflated a little. “So…you can’t help me?”

Alfred glanced back at the vampire. The vampire was averting his gaze, his brows furrowing slightly as he looked at the city. But Alfred caught the way his fingers tapped nervously on the stone balcony, the way his pursed lips trembled slightly.

…Alfred could go back. If Herbert truly meant him no harm, then Alfred could go back to the University. Would Alibori even have anything he could accuse Alfred of, if the ‘specimen’ in question wasn’t even there for Alfred to have disturbed it? Would anyone truly believe that Alibori had captured a live vampire that Alfred had set free?

He doesn’t even need to specify that it was a vampire specimen. He’s a respected academic. You’re a nobody. Who’s going to come to your aid, if Alibori sets his sights on ruining you?

Alfred thought about Professor Abronsius. Would he help Alfred? Or would he be just as cross with him, for setting a demon free. Even if he did come to Alfred’s defense in front of the Dean, even if he did protect him from being expelled…Alfred doubted he would be able to stay on as Abronsius’s assistant after something like this.

You have nothing. You have no one. You’re alone, like you always are.

Alfred looked again at Herbert, standing in front of the balcony and eyes shining as he looked over the city, clearly trying so hard not to cry.

Alfred sighed.

“...I might be able to,” he admitted. “Professor Abronsius…he was planning on taking a journey across the Carpathians in a few months. I’ve already mapped out the trip: which cities to stop at on the way, which train to take…”

“So you’ll do it?” Herbert was in front of Alfred again, and Alfred stumbled back in surprise as he looked up at the bright, excited gaze of the vampire. “You’ll help me?”

“I – yes! Alright! But…but some ground rules!” Alfred stammered, holding up a hand in between himself and the vampire. “No biting! Not while I’m helping you, and not after! I need to know that I’m not leading you home just to become your lunch! Or someone else’s!”

Herbert sighed, but gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Fine. I promise to keep my teeth to myself.”

“Good,” Alfred shakily lowered his hand. “Rule number two…no…no killing anyone else, either.”

Herbert’s mouth fell open. “But–”

“No!” Alfred shook his head. “No! I won’t help you if you go around killing people! Animal blood clearly works well enough,” Alfred tried not to think about how enthusiastically Herbert had lapped at the blood from his mouth. “So…so there’s no excuse! No killing anybody, or I leave you to find your way back home yourself.”

Herbert looked aghast, like Alfred had suggested kicking a puppy. But Alfred stood his ground, fists clenched and lips pursed into a tight line as he tried, tried to look stern.

And then Herbert huffed, and crossed his arms over his chest as he rolled his eyes.

“Fine,” he pouted. “I will refrain from nibbling on the locals.”

Alfred’s shoulders slumped in relief.

He hadn’t been sure that would work.

“Thank you,” he breathed, and he brought a shaky hand up to his forehead as he tried to think. “We…” he licked his lips. “I…I need to go to the station, to see when the next train is going to leave. And I’ll need money, too.” He closed his eyes. “My wallet, my things…they’re all back at the University. I can’t…”

“Oh, I can get those things for you, darling!” Herbert was all bright and chipper again, as if he hadn’t been pouting like a spoiled child just moments ago. “Just tell me where to find your room, and I’ll be in and out before anyone sees me! I’m very good at sneaking.” He wiggled his eyebrows with a grin.

Alfred nodded his head, some of the anxiety slipping away. “Good…good, that will make things easier. I can buy the tickets then…and also some more pig’s blood.”

Herbert’s nose wrinkled slightly at the mention of it, but then his expression smoothed into a more sly one as he slinked closer to Alfred. “Will I continue to have the pleasure of you feeding it to me?” His eyes twinkled as one of his manicured nails stroked a teasing line along Alfred’s arm. In spite of the layers of cloth separating them, Alfred felt goosebumps raise on his skin.

He jumped back, hugging his arms across his chest. “N-no!” he stammered, face going red again. “That was – I only did that because Sebastian – y-you are perfectly capable of feeding yourself from now on!”

Herbert was grinning, but he did not make any further advances on Alfred, evidently deciding to take mercy on the poor boy. Instead he just raised his hands in a show of peace, though his eyes were still twinkling.

“Quite fair,” he said with a smirk. “But it seems, regardless…we have a plan?”

“Yes,” Alfred breathed, his shoulders slumping a little. “...we do.”

Chapter Text

As he waited to board the train to Budapest, Alfred found himself nervously glancing around, half expecting Professor Abronsius or Alibori to pop up out of the crowds somewhere.

Don’t be a fool, Alfred, he chided himself. As far as they know, you’ve been kidnapped by a vampire. Why would they think to look for you at a train station with the sun high in the sky?

He wondered if Abronsius was worried.

He’d thought about asking Herbert to leave a note in his room when the vampire had gone to collect his things. But what would he have written? ‘Sorry for ignoring all of your warnings and everything you’ve ever said about vampires, I’m going to help one flee the country’

No. No, there wasn’t anything he could say to Professor Abronsius that would make the situation any better.

Still, though he had left no trace of where he would be going, Alfred checked the hall of the train before slipping into the empty sleeper car and firmly closing the door behind him. He glanced outside the window, too, before shutting the curtains and setting his luggage down under one of the adjoining beds.

He sighed, and then peaked into his pocket.

“It’s safe,” he said. “You can come out, now.”

The words were barely out of his mouth before a blur of white shot out of his pocket. The little white bat fluttered around the ceiling of the room for one moment, before there was a puff of mist and Herbert was there, lounging on the bed opposite Alfred.

Evidently, Herbert was “good at sneaking” due to his ability to shapeshift, something Alfred learned when Herbert returned from fetching his things, and had promptly flown directly to nuzzle into his hair. Alfred had fallen over and screamed in octaves he hadn’t been able to hit since before puberty, only for the bat to shift back into Herbert.

“You seem very eager to get on your back for me,” he’d said with a smirk.

Herbert was smirking now, propped up on one elbow as he looked coyly up at Alfred from the bed.

“My, what an intimate setting we’ll be sharing, cheri.”

Alfred ducked his head as his ears burned.

“The train should be making stops at a few different major cities on the way,” he said, ignoring Herbert’s flirtations. “Once it gets dark, you should have time to slip out and catch some of the local wildlife for food, if you need to feed again.”

Herbert huffed at that, and flopped onto his back to stare petulantly up at the ceiling. “I should be able to manage until we reach Budapest,” he said with a wave of his hand. “As long as I don’t exert myself, that is.”

Alfred had gotten Herbert another pint of pig’s blood before they’d caught the train, though Herbert had whined and moaned about it.

“You seemed to enjoy it well enough last time,” Alfred had grumbled, without truly realizing it.

That had made Herbert’s eyes glint a little. “Why, the stalest of water tastes like the sweetest of nectar to the man plagued by thirst,” he said. “And doubly so when presented by such a fetching cupbearer.”

Alfred glanced warily over at Herbert now, but the vampire seemed to still be pouting, which Alfred supposed bought him a few moments of peace. He sighed, and turned to rifle through his bag.

He’d only known Herbert for a handful of hours, and already he knew the vampire’s emotions were as unpredictable as the weather at sea. He could be moody and pouty one moment and absolutely shameless in the next. Alfred wasn’t sure how to keep up with it. He rubbed at his forehead.

“Something troubling you, cheri?”

Alfred jumped slightly, and turned to find that Herbert’s eyes had fallen on him again. Alfred shook his head.

“No,” he said, and it wasn’t totally a lie. I’ve only just destroyed my entire life in one night. “I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

“Hmm,” Herbert flopped onto his back again as he stared up at the ceiling. “I’ve had my fill of sleep.”

“About that…” Alfred climbed up onto his own bed, though he sat on the edge with his notebook nearby, at the ready. “Why were you asleep like that? Professor Abronsius thought it was some sort of…hibernation?”

Herbert sighed. “A close enough approximation, I suppose. I followed a fetching young treasure hunter into an old salt mine. I think he was hoping to find gold there, the pretty little fool. I’d been tailing him as a bat, but then the little idiot set off an explosion in the wrong place and caused an entire cave-in. He died in the explosion, and I was trapped. There was too much rubble for me to move on my own, and no spaces wide enough that I could escape even when shifted. His blood sustained me for a little while, but after some time I felt the pangs of hunger, and knew it was either go to sleep or go feral and eventually starve. I knew I’d have more time if I slumbered, so I did.”

Alfred’s brow furrowed. “And can you really not wake yourself up? You’re just…trapped in sleep?”

Herbert averted his gaze to the side. “If we smell a proper food source in the area, that’s sometimes enough to wake us. But if we fall deep enough into the slumber…another vampire is required, one whose telepathy is strong enough to break us out of our sleep. I’d hoped my father would find me, but it seems that dreadful Professor Alibori unearthed me first.”

Herbert glanced back over at Alfred, and his lips curled into a faint smirk.

“Not that I’m complaining; however convoluted the turn of events might have been, I am delighted Fate sent me such a gallant rescuer.”

“I–” Alfred’s ears turned red again as he spluttered and looked away. “You…fate had nothing to do with it. You sent me those dreams.”

“Dreams?” Herbert’s grin widened. “Do you dream of me, cheri?”

“You know what I mean,” Alfred huffed. “Why did you send those dreams to me, anyways? And why the…the castle and the casket and the…”

And the kiss!

Herbert was still smirking. “Well, some of those points are easier to answer than others. Why the castle? It’s my home; it’s someplace I felt safe. The casket…oh, I read too many fairytales as a child. I adored them. I still do, actually. And there I was, trapped in slumber, just waiting to be rescued by my handsome prince. But as far as what my prince did when he found me…well, that was all up to you, darling. I had no control over what you did once I’d given you the context.”

Herbert’s eyes twinkled a little as he looked at Alfred. “I wasn’t even really trying to reach you specifically, not at first at least. You see, when we slumber, it’s quite like being on a ship in the middle of a great, foggy expanse. You can make out vague shapes in the distance, but you have no true bearings. I knew I wasn’t in the cave anymore, but I didn’t know where I’d been moved. And so, like a ship lost at sea ringing a bell to warn nearby ships…I sent out my own call for help.”

Herbert’s smile widened, and he tilted his head as he looked at Alfred.

“And like a lighthouse, piercing through the fog, you answered. You were the only one to make it past the thorns, through the castle…to me. I kept reaching out to you after that first dream, and you kept answering. And then the prince from my dreams came to wake me from my true slumber, just like I’d hoped he would.”

Alfred’s face was completely red. He turned to look away from Herbert’s glittering eyes. “I–”

He was spared further embarrassment by the train jolting to a start, and Herbert in turn jumping up. His eyes went wide, and Alfred thought he closely resembled a startled cat in that moment.

“I-it’s alright, it’s just the train,” he was quick to say. “We’re starting to move, that’s all.”

Herbert settled back onto the bed, sniffing and looking away petulantly. “I knew that,” he said with a small pout. And maybe he was just projecting, but…Alfred suddenly thought that, if the vampire were capable of it, he might be blushing a little in that moment.

He said it’s been two centuries since he last traveled, Alfred thought to himself. He’s probably never been on a train before…or even seen one…

“I…um…” Alfred stood, suddenly unsure again when the weight of Herbert’s sharp gaze landed on him again. “I’m…going to go get something to eat from the dining car. Do you…?”

Herbert sniffed, and looked off to the side again. “Human food doesn’t hold the same appeal anymore. We can eat it, but there’s little point.”

“Oh,” Alfred made a mental note, and nodded his head. “Right. Well, um, don’t open the curtains. I’ll…be back.”

“I shall await your return with baited breath,” Herbert purred as Alfred practically ran out of the cabin.

“You don’t breathe!” Alfred immediately stammered back.

Herbert’s bright laughter followed Alfred as he shut the cabin door shut, his ears burning once more.

Chapter Text

Alfred spent most of his time in the dining car regretting the three cups of coffee he had scarfed down. It only made his heart rate spike, and made his anxiety about going back to the sleeper car, where Herbert was, worse.

He’ll be able to hear how loud my heartbeat is, he thought to himself. Does caffeine affect vampires? If he were to drain me, would he feel the effects of it?

Alfred tried to imagine the already unpredictable Herbert hyped up on caffeine, and decided that that was even more reason to keep the vampire’s fangs away from his neck.

Which is why he had drunk an inadvisable amount of coffee in the first place. In spite of the vampire’s assurances that he would leave Alfred alive and unbitten, Alfred still felt uncomfortably like prey when Herbert looked at him. And with how tired he was…he really, really didn’t want to fall asleep in the vampire’s presence.

The Professor had said that the dreams were Herbert trying to…manipulate him into freeing him. And that didn’t seem too far off from what Herbert had said. A call for help, he’d called it.

“And like a lighthouse, piercing through the fog, you answered.”

Alfred shook his head.

Was he just easily swayed and fooled? Herbert had only needed to bat his eyelashes at him and quiver his lip and Alfred was smuggling him back to Transylvania.

Maybe he has enthralled me, Alfred wondered as he carded his fingers through his hair. The Professor said vampires were capable of that. And he’s so pretty, he wouldn’t need to do much to…

No. No. He was not going to start thinking that way. Herbert was undoubtedly, irrevocably a predator. A sleek and beautiful one surely, like a panther, but capable of ripping you to shreds if he felt so inclined.

Alfred sighed, and debated getting another cup of coffee – if only to delay going back to the cabin – when a pair of women seated near him began to giggle.

“Oh, sir,” one of the women called, and it took Alfred a moment to realize they meant him. He blinked over at them, his eyes wide and his ears going a bit pink. “It seems you have an admirer!”

She gestured to the top of Alfred’s head at his blank stare, and then there was a flutter of movement, and a…white butterfly fluttered down from above him. Alfred stared as it landed on the rim of his coffee cup, and the women started giggling again.

“It must have snuck on the train! Oh, the poor thing must be so far from home, now,” one of the women cooed.

“Yes,” Alfred said woodenly as he stared at the butterfly. It couldn’t be…could it? Alfred’s eyes darted around the dining car. He was seated in one of the few tables not in front of a window…it could have entered while avoiding direct contact with the sun…

…and now that he was looking closer, Alfred could tell that what was sitting on the edge of his cup, staring up at him oh-so innocently, was in fact a white moth.

And moths were nocturnal.

Like bats.

And vampires.

“Herbert?” he hissed under his breath.

The moth fluttered its wings.

Dammit.

Alfred glanced around, but the two women seemed engrossed in their conversation and were, thankfully, no longer paying him any attention.

Alfred held out his hand then, and the moth far-too obligingly leapt into his palm. Alfred sighed, and for added security carefully cupped his other hand over the moth, shielding it from any errant sun-rays as he quickly absconded back to the sleeper car.

Once he was back inside, the moth leapt from his hand to turn back into Herbert, and Alfred huffed.

“What were you doing?”

“You were gone for so long. I got bored,” Herbert pouted at Alfred as he plopped petulantly back down onto his bed. “And your diary was not nearly as salacious as I hoped it would be.”

“My–”

Alfred stared at the journal that was lying open on his bed, and he quickly picked it back up.

“This is a scientific journal,” Alfred insisted, even as his ears turned red. “And you shouldn’t go through my things!”

“You shouldn’t have left it out if you didn’t want me reading it,” Herbert sniffed. “Not that there was anything interesting in it, anyhow. Just a bunch of theories that I already knew. I got to your notes on ‘the properties of garlic’ and decided I’d rather go out searching for you instead.”

“Other cars have their windows open, Herbert,” Alfred sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sat down. “You could have flown into sunlight.”

“Are you my mother now?” Herbert asked, his eyebrows shooting up and an impish grin spreading across his lips. “Should I call you mommy?”

“Herbert, I’m being serious!”

“Aw,” Herbert giggled, and rolled onto his belly, resting his chin on his arms as he grinned up at Alfred. “Do you care about me, Alfred?”

“I…” Alfred turned red. “I would be very cross if you…if I ruined my academic career to save you, only for you to die because you got bored.”

“Then don’t let me grow bored,” Herbert replied with a pout, and Alfred sighed again.

Come to think of it, by Herbert’s own admission, hadn’t his last brush with death also been because he had been bored?

I’m starting to suspect this might be a pattern.

“We’re going to be on this train for a while, Herbert,” Alfred said. “How am I supposed to keep you entertained the entire time?”

“I can think of a few ways,” Herbert grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, and Alfred went red.

“O-or…” Alfred stammered and quickly grabbed for his journal. “You could…answer some questions?”

“Oooh, do you want to study me?”

“I mean it!”

“Study me thoroughly?”

“I’ll go back to the dining car!” Alfred threatened. “And I’ll sit right in a patch of sunlight, so you won’t be able to fly up to me again!”

Herbert pouted, and rolled onto his back. “You’re no fun.”

“Please?” Alfred asked. “I’ve never…everything Professor Abronsius knew about vampires was based on second-hand sources.”

Herbert gave a long suffering sigh.

“I should have known,” he moaned. “You’re only interested in me for my body.”

Alfred’s ears burned. “Herbert!”

“Fine,” Herbert rolled back onto his stomach and pouted a little at Alfred. “But let’s make a game of it? A quid pro quo! You ask me something, and then I ask you something in return?”

“Me?” Alfred stared at Herbert. “I don’t…I’m not that interesting.”

“Oh, I’m sure that’s not true, darling. Either way, I won’t know until I ask!” Herbert waved his hand. “This is the only way I’ll play! Indulge me.”

Alfred hesitated, then nodded. “Alright.”

“Wonderful!” Herbert sat up on the bed, crossing his legs and clapping his hands together. “You can go first then! What would you like to know about us creatures of the night?”

“Well…” Alfred licked his lips as he thought, and tried to ignore how Herbert’s eyes had darted down to look at his tongue. “Um…e-earlier! In the dining car. You’d turned into a moth?”

“A white satin moth,” Herbert quirked an eyebrow. “Is that your question?”

“No! It’s just…Professor Abronsius theorized that you could turn into bats, but moths…never came up. Can you…transform into anything?”

“Mmm, in theory,” Herbert sighed a little. “It requires a bit of patience, and a bit of study. I can’t turn into something I’ve never seen before, and it has to be something I’ve spent a bit of time watching. I need to be familiar with it. Bats are standard, I expect, because they often roost in the same places we vampires tend to live. Father’s castle has so many in the towers…”

“What else can you turn into?” Alfred asked, his eyes bright as he shifted forward a little. “What if it was an animal you’d just read extensively about? Can you turn into other people?”

“Slow down, darling!” Herbert laughed. “You’ll need to answer some of my questions, first! Those are the rules.” Herbert tutted, and wagged his finger at Alfred. Alfred flushed, but nodded his head.

“Of course,” he coughed. “What…what do you want to know?”

“Hmmm,” Herbert tapped his lips, head tilted as he examined Alfred. “There’s so much I don’t know about you, where to start…”

A slow smirk spread across his lips. “You left Königsberg is such a rush…any broken hearted beaus we need to worry about?”

“Wh–” Alfred blinked, his ears turning pink once more. “N-no. No I’m not…”

“Ah, you’re on the market then!” Herbert grinned, his eyes sparkling. “Good. I needn’t worry about any competition then.”

Alfred huffed, and looked back down at his notebook as he – somewhat aggressively – turned to a new page.

“Vampires can shapeshift,” he said, marching ahead with the conversation. “And you obviously have some form of telepathy, since you were able to send me those…dreams.”

“And what lovely dreams they were,” Herbert sighed with a smile. Alfred flushed again.

“What about hypnosis?” Alfred asked. “There’s been some reports of vampires having a sort of ability to…enthrall people.”

“Do I enthrall you?” Herbert grinned, and he wiggled his eyebrows.

Alfred wasn’t sure his face could get any redder. “Quid pro quo,” he shot back stubbornly. Herbert laughed in delight.

“Oh, some of us do,” he said as he leaned back. “The more powerful ones, at least. It’s more of a suggestion than it is a true hypnosis. We can’t force people to do things they don’t wish to. There’s no hypnotizing people into jumping off cliffs, or killing their loved ones. We can just…lower inhibitions a little, make people a little more willing to act on what is already in their heart.”

Herbert turned his gaze to Alfred, his eyes glinting and his lips still pulled into that smirk.

“If someone walks into the embrace of a vampire, it is because they want to.”

Alfred kept his eyes very firmly trained on the book in his lap, and just stiffly nodded his head as he scribbled on his notebook.

“My turn!” Herbert chirped, “Big spoon or little spoon?”

“What?” Alfred looked up to stare at Herbert.

“For cuddling,” Herbert said. “Do you like to be the big spoon or the little spoon?”

“I–” Alfred’s ears were burning. “I don’t – I mean I’ve not…”

“Oh?” Herbert arched an eyebrow and grinned. “You don’t cuddle? I never would have pegged you as the love them and leave them type, Alfred. I didn’t know you were so heartless.”

“I’ve never–” Alfred spluttered again, then clamped his mouth shut and looked stubbornly back down at his notebook, ignoring Herbert’s pointed gaze.

“Do vampires really sleep in coffins?” he asked, before immediately regretting it. Don’t ask him about his sleeping habits. He’ll just take that as an opportunity to ask you more about yours.

“We prefer sarcophagi, if we can manage it. It’s safer that way,” Herbert said with a shrug, that faint smile still on his face. “Underground, no windows, and with an extra layer of stone just to be safe…as far away from the sunlight as we can.”

Alfred just sniffed and nodded as he scribbled in his journal.

“It’s comfier than it sounds,” Herbert said, and just when Alfred thought he’d been safe… “And often the sarcophagi are big enough for two…”

Alfred made a small, non-committal sound as he wrote, hoping that would deter Herbert.

“...and if not,” Herbert went on, not put off in the slightest. “We do also make use of beds…”

“Did you have a question?” Alfred asked, sounding a little strangled. Herbert gave a low chuckle.

“Hmmm…” Herbert flopped back onto the bed. Alfred was starting to see why Herbert had ventured out of the car; the vampire was incapable of sitting still for longer than a few moments at a time. He was so restless…

“Have youuuu…ever been in loooove?” Herbert asked with a small grin. Alfred huffed.

“No,” he said a bit stubbornly, and before he could stop himself – “Have you?”

“Yes.” Herbert grinned widely at Alfred, and rolled onto his stomach so he could kick his feet up in the air. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

“I–” Alfred’s ears were burning. “No! Is there a point to these questions?”

“I want to know more about you,” Herbert enigmatically answered, his eyes glinting and his smile still wide. “And that counts for one of your questions, by the way. Now, I have quite the serious one for you Alfred,” Herbert’s smile faded quite suddenly, and he stared somberly at Alfred. “I’ve been through quite the ordeal, trapped by a cave-in and shipped across the continent…”

Alfred slowly nodded his head, his eyes searching Herbert’s face as he wondered where the vampire was going with this.

“...so please…be honest with me…how do I look?”

Alfred stared at Herbert, who pouted back up at him.

“This is a serious question?” Alfred asked flatly. Herbert huffed.

“Yes! I don’t have a reflection, Alfred, how am I supposed to know? I’ve been asleep for months!”

Alfred sighed, but against his better judgment allowed himself to…look at Herbert.

The Herbert in front of him now was a far cry from the Herbert in his dream. That Herbert had been almost uncannily perfect: lips painted as dark as a plum, hair sleek and haloing his face, moonlight hitting him at just the right angles to make the jewels on his coat sparkle…

The Herbert who lay in front of him, pouting and looking almost a little shy had clear signs of wear on him. They hadn’t time to get him a proper change of clothes, so he still wore the tattered and dusty remnants of his old finery. His hair was not quite messy, but it was not as sleek and flawless as it had been in the dream. And any makeup that he might have worn had faded, leaving his colorless face looking less like what a powdered noble might have donned and more like a corpse’s.

…but even with all of that, and against Alfred’s better sense that screamed at him that Herbert was dangerous, Herbert was a panther that would rip his throat out at the nearest opportunity…

…Alfred couldn’t deny that Herbert’s eyes, which were now big and saucer-like as they stared up at him, were perhaps the prettiest shade of blue he’d ever seen. And really, it was unfair how nice his cheekbones were, and how long his legs were…

Alfred huffed, and he looked down as his ears turned red.

“You’re – you look…”

“What?” Herbert’s eyes went large, and he sat up on the bed. “Oh, is it that bad?”

“No, you–”

“Am I hideous?” Herbert put his hands to his cheeks. “Oh, no wonder you’ve been spurning my advances!”

“No! You’re pretty, alright?”

Herbert froze, and then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Alfred.

“...you’re just saying that.”

“I’m not,” Alfred resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and instead only pursed his lips as he looked at Herbert. “You’re…I remember what you looked like in the dream, Herbert. If that’s what you normally look like, then now…”

Alfred hesitated, then gestured to Herbert.

“You’re…you’re still pretty. Just less…sparkly, that’s all.”

Herbert had been pouting a little, his eyes downcast. But he glanced up at Alfred and stared at him for a moment.

Then his lips pulled into a small, almost shy but certainly pleased smile.

“Alright,” he said, and he flopped back down onto the bed. He pulled the pillow towards him, wrapping his arms around it and hugging it to his chest. “I believe you, Alfred.”

Alfred sighed, but nodded his head. He pulled his gaze away from the vampire so he might look back at his notes, but Herbert seemed mollified – at least for the moment – and so the following questions were answered and posed without too much difficulty.

Alfred learned that vampires could not shapeshift into other people, only some could turn into mist (Herbert pouted about that, and later revealed his father had refused to teach him how on account of Herbert ‘already being slippery enough as is’), and no their familiars did not become jibbering lunatics who ate bugs (“so long as they were well cared for” Herbert had said). Herbert in turn learned that yes his hair was fine, and yes his eyes were still blue. Alfred hadn’t been sure how to answer “are my lips still kissable?” and so Herbert had laughed and asked after his complexion instead, to which Alfred had answered “pale” before promptly excusing himself and blaming the three cups of coffee he’d drunk.

Out of the sleeping car once more, Alfred breathed and put his hands to his still-warm cheeks.

That hadn’t been…too bad. Herbert was…a lot, but Alfred felt like he’d done a reasonably good job of keeping his footing.

Keep telling yourself that, Alfred. You only have how many more days to spend with him before you reach Transylvania? And you’re already running away after just an hour spent in his company?

…no. No. He could handle this. He could handle this.

…he just needed to drink a little less coffee, perhaps.

Chapter Text

I can’t believe he’s finally asleep.

Alfred stared, somewhat dumbfounded, at the snoozing vampire in front of him. In spite of the vampire’s assertions that he’d ‘had his fill of sleeping,’ evidently the nocturnal creature’s internal clock caught up with him. With a few hours of daylight still left, the vampire’s eyes had eventually drooped, and he’d curled up on the bed with his pillow hugged to his chest. It was…a surprisingly human sight, and a far cry from the corpse-like pose Alfred had first seen Herbert in.

And without the vampire’s constant chatter, the quiet in the car was…almost deafening. There was only the sound of the train’s engine and the mechanical roll of the wheels on the track.

Try and enjoy it while you can, Alfred, he tried to tell himself. Once he wakes it’ll be nonstop chatter and flirting again.

Alfred’s ears burned as he recalled some of Herbert’s…bolder flirtations. He really had no shame. Or fear.

Maybe that’s…something he doesn’t need to fear, Alfred thought as he looked down at the sleeping vampire. He speaks so fondly of his father…and he really doesn’t seem to be ashamed of…

Maybe with where Herbert was from, in vampiric society (if that even was such a thing), that…was seen as…alright?

Alfred shook his head. That was almost as dangerous a train of thought as ruminating on how pretty Herbert was.

He needed to get out of this car.

And so Alfred found himself in the dining car again, this time determined to limit himself to one cup of tea and maybe one of the apples they had available. But as Alfred moved to sit down, something caught the corner of his eye, and he froze with the apple caught in his mouth.

Was that…no.

Alfred took a cautious bite of the apple, and tried to not look too conspicuous as he glanced to the side again. The person sitting on the other side of the car was hidden behind a newspaper, but they lowered it enough for Alfred to catch a glimpse of soft blonde curls and narrowed green eyes, and he jolted and looked quickly to the side.

Sebastian!

A quick glance told Alfred that Sebastian had retreated back behind the newspaper, but Alfred knew. His first instinct was to rush back to the car with Herbert, but Alfred forced himself to finish his apple and sip at his tea. Don’t arouse suspicion Alfred, stay calm, stay calm…

…he’d probably gotten on at one of the previous stops. With how often the train stopped, Sebastian could conceivably have caught up on horseback…

But how…how did he know which train? How did he know where he was going?

Maybe someone had spotted me at the train station, he reasoned. If they’d asked, the ticket seller might have remembered me. But how…how did they know…

Alfred’s mouth went dry.

Abronsius would have known. Alfred had originally made these plans with him. And if they thought he was under Herbert’s thrall…Abronsius was so clever. He would have known what Alfred would have done.

Tea and apple finished, it took all of his willpower not to run back to the sleeper car. Slow down, Alfred. Sebastian is probably only here to spy, not do anything.. Alibori would have advised him to keep a distance; he knows he’d be no match for a vampire.

…which then brought the image to Alfred’s mind of Herbert, fangs sunk deep into Sebastian’s throat.

Something in Alfred’s stomach twisted.

No. No, Sebastian and Alibori were wrong about Herbert, but…but that didn’t mean they deserved to die!

But what do we do?!

Alfred shut the door to the sleeper car behind him and took in a shaky breath. He glanced over at the still-sleeping Herbert, and then crept over to the window. A peek through the curtains confirmed what he already knew; the last rays of sunlight had disappeared. It was night.

Alfred chewed on his lip as he thought.

Sebastian is here to tail us. Alibori likely rode ahead to beat us to Budapest. With the frequent stops the train makes along the way…it’s possible.

And if he’s working with Abronsius…

An inconceivable thought, those two working together. But how else would Alibori have known precisely which train to send Sebastian to, if Abronsius hadn’t shared the plans he and Alfred had made for their journey?

Alfred shook his head. He wasn’t thinking clearly. He needed to focus. If Alibori and Abronsius planned to intercept him and Herbert at Budapest, it meant they had a plan for containing Herbert again. Whether or not it would be successful was debatable; Herbert had already proven he had capabilities beyond what Abronsius had theorized.

No, no the way Alfred saw it, there were two outcomes to such a confrontation: either Herbert was killed or incapacitated for further study, or, much more likely…Abronsius and Alibori failed, and Herbert killed the both of them.

Neither was a scenario Alfred wanted to deal with.

They had to get off this train.

His mind made up, Alfred sucked in a breath and turned to face the sleeping vampire. He leaned over him, and shook his shoulder.

“Herbert? Herbert, wake up! There’s – ah!”

Alfred yelped as Herbert’s arms shot out, wrapping him in a tight embrace and pulling him flush against the vampire’s chest. Herbert rolled onto his side, cuddling Alfred against him like a teddy bear while the academic squirmed.

“Mmm, did you get lonely after all, darling?” Herbert murmured. Alfred spluttered.

“Herbert,” he squeaked. “Herbert we need to get up.”

“But I’d just gotten comfortable,” Herbert sighed, nuzzling his face into Alfred’s curls.

“Herbert!” Alfred hissed. “Herbert, we need to leave! We’ve been followed!”

“Hm?” Herbert opened his eyes and blinked down at Alfred. “Leave? Have we arrived in Budapest already?”

“No,” Alfred wriggled out of Herbert’s grasp, and then rather ungracefully climbed over the vampire and tumbled onto the floor. “We’ve been followed! I think Alibori’s waiting for us in Budapest.”

“Oh, that’s inconvenient,” Herbert yawned, and Alfred caught a glimpse of fangs. “I could just kill them.”

“No! No killing, remember?” Alfred hissed. “If you kill them, I won’t help you anymore!”

Herbert pouted. “How inconvenient.”

But he sighed as he sat up and stretched, then tilted his head. “...the train’s still moving, cheri. Are we to jump out while it’s in motion?”

“Sebastian will be watching to make sure we don’t leave at any of the stops,” Alfred said as he packed away the few things he had lying about. “The best way to lose him is to leave when he isn’t looking.”

“By jumping out of a moving train,” Herbert repeated, one eyebrow arching.

“...yes?”

Herbert stared at Alfred. And then he shrugged.

“Well, at least I have good reflexes,” he said, and then he flashed Alfred a toothy grin. “I’ll make sure to cushion your fall, my dear. Where will we be exiting?”

Alfred opened the window to their car. A cold blast of winter wind hit him in the face, and he went stumbling back. Herbert sighed.

“I see. Well, have you got everything?”

“Yes,” Alfred stood up again to brush himself off, only to squeak as Herbert swept him into his arms, suitcase and all. Herbert grinned down at Alfred.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’ll be gentle.”

And then Herbert leapt out the window, and Alfred only barely stifled his yell.

The landing probably wasn’t quite as graceful as Herbert intended; the train tracks were situated on top of an incline, and Herbert and Alfred went rolling through the snow, down and down until the ground leveled once more beneath them. But Herbert had cushioned Alfred’s fall, and when Alfred opened his eyes once more he saw that he had landed on Herbert’s chest, while the vampire lay his head back and laughed jubilantly.

“That was fun!” Herbert said with a smile. There was snow caught in his hair and his eyelashes, and for one, fleeting moment, Alfred recalled a glass casket, illuminated by moonlight and surrounded by snow…

“Um,” Alfred scrambled to extract himself from Herbert’s grasp, and he quickly stood and brushed himself off. “If…if we follow the train tracks, we should be able to reach the next town. It’ll be easier to slip by unnoticed now that we don’t have to worry about…being funneled by the train exits.”

“Of course,” Herbert said, his eyes glittering with amusement as he stood. He turned, and he squinted to get a look at their surroundings. Alfred looked, too. The moonlight was bright enough to illuminate the forest around them, but the trees cast long, deep shadows that still made Alfred feel uncomfortably closed in.

“Hmm…one moment, darling! I’m going to get a look from higher ground.”

In a flutter of white, Herbert was gone, and Alfred watched in some amazement as a snowy owl glided up towards the tops of the trees.

Bat, moth, and owl, Alfred thought to himself. What else can he turn into?

Alfred rubbed his hands together, bringing them to his mouth and breathing warm air into them as he tried to stave off the cold that threatened to seep into his bones.

And as Alfred stood there, he couldn’t shake the uncomfortable, chilling feeling that he was being watched.

It’s a forest, Alfred, he chided himself. It’s probably just the owls, or the stoats…

Still, Alfred was almost relieved when the snowy owl glided back down to shift back into Herbert in a flurry of white feathers.

“I can’t see the city from up there,” Herbert said with a sigh and a flick of his hair. “But we can follow the tracks, like you said. With me carrying you, we should be able to make it in no time!”

Alfred thought about being cradled against Herbert’s chest as the vampire ran across the countryside, and he flushed.

“Can you keep your speed if you shift into something else?” he asked Herbert. “Like…like if you turned into a horse…”

“A horse?!” Herbert reeled back and almost looked affronted, but then his expression morphed into a sly smirk and he said; “Why, Alfred, if you’re so eager to ride me…”

“Never mind!” Alfred spluttered as his face went red. “We can go on foot!”

“You mean I’ll go on foot. It’ll take us too long if we have to wait for those slow human legs of yours, cheri.”

Herbert swept Alfred up into his arms again, and he smirked down at the human. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take a nibble?” he asked, leaning in towards Alfred. “Just a little love bite, and then you’ll be just as fast and as strong as me…”

“Quite sure!” Alfred squirmed and leaned as far back in Herbert’s hold as he could. “I’m no use to you without a pulse!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that,” Herbert kept smirking, but he pulled his head back all the same. “But if you insist…I suppose then all the hard work falls to me…”

And then off they ran. Faced with the cold wind whipping at his skin, Alfred had little choice but to turn and hide his face against Herbert’s chest. He hoped the vampire was too distracted by the task at hand to read too much into it.

Alfred only lifted his head when he felt Herbert start to slow, and blinked at the roofs of the village he saw in the distance.

“What town is that?” Herbert chirped over the wind. Alfred’s brow furrowed.

“I don’t know!” he replied. “Maybe they know more about how far the nearest city is, though!”

Herbert made a noise of agreement, and darted off in the direction of the village. He slowed when they were a few meters away, so he might set Alfred down and then, once more, turn into a bat and hide in his pocket. Alfred sighed, but squared his shoulders as he walked into the boundaries of the village.

There was nothing particularly remarkable about it, except it looked…quite ill-cared for. Alfred noticed that some of the paneling on the roofs was falling off, and that some of the signs hanging over the shops were skewed and rusted.

“Um,” Alfred cleared his throat as he looked around. “Hello?” he called.

Nothing, save for the wind rattling the shutters.

“This is wrong,” Alfred murmured. The streets were too empty, the houses were too dark… “Herbert? I think you can come out…”

A flutter and the bat hopped out of Alfred’s pocket and turned back into Herbert. The vampire looked around, his brow furrowed.

“What a dreary place,” he sniffed.

“Is anyone here?” Alfred asked. “Can you…hear or smell anything?”

Herbert sighed, but frowned as he tilted his head.

“...no heartbeats,” he murmured. “How odd. Do humans normally just abandon settlements like this?”

“Not usually,” Alfred said. “Not unless – ah!”

Alfred yelped, jumping back as a clawed hand punched up through the ground beneath him. Herbert whirled to look at Alfred. His eyes widened, and then he was picking Alfred up and dashing with him up onto the roof of a nearby home.

“What?” Alfred gasped, his eyes wide as he watched the thing crawl its way out of the ground. It was…it was human, or something like it. Its skin was gray and sallow, eyes sunken in and mouth hanging limply open to reveal rows of sharpened teeth; overgrown and too big for the mouth and oh…oh there were a lot of them. Humans should not have that many teeth.

“What?!”

“Vrykolakas,” Herbert cursed, his eyes narrowed as he watched the ground below them.

“What?!”

“Vrykolakas,” Herbert said again. “Vampires, or they would be if they had been allowed to turn properly. My guess is a proper vampire came through this town, had themselves a little feast, and then the little idiots who lived here didn’t know how to properly dispose of the bodies. Really, a wooden stake through the heart or a good beheading is all it takes! But someone somewhere decided driving nails into the body was good enough.”

And yes, Alfred could see now the iron nails sticking out of the chests and throats of the revenants. That’s probably why they keep gurgling like that…

“It just interrupts the process,” Herbert growled. “Makes them turn wrong. And worse. If you’re lucky a vampire will still leave you with enough blood for you to stumble out of bed the next morning, but a vrykolakas will keep feeding until there’s nothing left. Nothing.”

“You mean…” Alfred licked his lips, and felt light-headed again. “They…they don’t just…drink? They…eat?”

Herbert’s mouth twisted in disgust, and Alfred felt bile rise in his throat.

That’s why there’s no bodies, he realized. That’s why there’s nothing…no one left…

But before he could try and compartmentalize that, there was a gurgling hissing noise as one of the vrykolakas came leaping up onto the roof. Alfred shrieked and stumbled back, but Herbert hissed and struck out at the creature with his claws. Another blur of white and red, and Herbert stood there, growling, his finery stained as the remains of the other vampire fell from his grasp.

“Idiots,” Herbert spat again. “Iron is for fairies, not vampires. How hard is it to drive a bit of wood through a corpse’s chest?! Or to chop its head off?!”

As if to prove his point, Herbert grabbed the scruff of another vrykolakas that had tried to scramble onto the roof, and in one motion ripped its head off its neck.

Alfred was going to faint. He was going to faint.

“Can we outrun them?” he asked. Herbert shook his head.

“They’re as fast as a proper vampire. And more food motivated, too,” he grunted. There was a blur, and then Herbert had darted to the other side of the roof to kick at yet another vrykolakas that had attempted to scale the rooftop. Alfred saw something round and vaguely head-shaped go flying, and heard a thump! as whatever was left went falling back into the snow.

“Food…” yes, yes he was very light-headed now. “You mean me. They want…me.”

“Oh, they’ll eat me too,” Herbert groused. “But they prefer their meat fresh and warm, yes.”

For a moment, Alfred heard nothing but the gurgling and snarling as more and more of the things awoke and crawled their way out of the ground. And then, in the midst of the chaos, a moment of clarity.

Herbert’s weak, Alfred thought to himself as he watched the vampire dart from side to side of the roof, desperately trying to belay the attacks. He…he hasn’t properly eaten. He can’t…he can’t win this…

“Leave me,” he croaked.

“What?!” Herbert’s head snapped to look over at Alfred in alarm as he threw one of the vrykolakas away.

“Leave me,” Alfred insisted. “I…they’ll prefer me to you. You can still get away. I…”

Herbert stared at Alfred. Then, his gaze moved to something over his shoulder, and the vampire’s gaze hardened. He rushed at Alfred, knocking the human onto his back as he grabbed at the throat of a vrykolakas that had crept up behind him.

“I appreciate your desire to be gallant once more,” Herbert said as he looked down at Alfred, his gaze oddly soft in comparison to the iron grip he held the squirming vrykolakas in. “But this time, allow me.”

He hurled the vrykolakas away then, and his eyes glinted as his teeth elongated into fangs. Herbert crouched into a defensive position and — no, no he was shifting again, the air around him shimmering as he fell forward onto all fours and…

…and then there was a white wolf standing in front of Alfred, ears laid back and lips pulled back into a snarl before it pounced onto the nearest vrykolakas. There was a flurry of white and red, and Alfred curled inward and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to block out the sounds of gurgling and growling and screeching.

Alfred only uncurled when the sounds came to an end, and he opened his eyes cautiously to stare at the wolf. Alfred tried to ignore the…remains around the wolf, but there was no ignoring how its white fur had been stained with red. And Alfred noticed with alarm that some of it was coming from deep gashes that had been claws into the wolf’s side.

“Herbert?” Alfred asked.

The wolf whimpered, and gave Alfred a large, puppy-eyed look before it swayed and collapsed. It let out a sigh, and then the air around it shimmered once more as the wolf became Herbert again.

Alfred scrambled over to the vampire, and with alarm noticed that the gash had transferred over. Four of them, in fact, raked down his chest and seeped blood into the tattered, ruined remains of his silk shirt.

“Herbert?!” Alfred’s voice rose a pitch.

“It’s alright, darling,” Herbert breathed, his eyes fluttering. “Just need to…to sleep a little.”

“Sleep?” No, no no no Alfred didn’t know if Herbert meant a regular sleep or a hibernative sleep, or death sleep, but he was quite sure that none of those options would fix the open wounds on his chest. “No, no Herbert stay with me, you need to stay awake…”

Herbert mumbled something incoherent, and Alfred’s panic rose.

If he falls asleep again I can’t move him. We’re in the middle of nowhere. I don’t have the tools for hunting, I can’t catch him something for him to…

Alfred had an idea, then.

A terrible idea. An idea Abronsius would box his ear for, but from where Alfred was sitting it was the only idea. It was either this or…or abandon Herbert.

And especially after how hard the vampire had just fought for him…Alfred wasn’t willing to repay that with nothing.

So Alfred took in a shaky breath, and then pressed his wrist to Herbert’s mouth.

“H-here,” he gulped. “Herbert.”

Herbert mumbled against Alfred’s skin.

He doesn’t realize, Alfred thought in a panic. I have to…

It took only a little searching around the immediate area for Alfred to find a wooden slat that had been broken loose from the roof. Crude, and certainly painful, but Alfred just needed to draw a little blood…

With a hiss, Alfred pressed the pointed end against his arm hard enough to draw the first pinpricks of blood, and then shoved his wrist against Herbert’s lips once more.

The effect was instantaneous. Herbert’s hands shot up to grip at Alfred’s arm and his eyes snapped open. For a moment, they remained frozen like that, Herbert’s eyes locked on Alfred’s.

Alfred nodded his head.

Herbert shuddered, and then Alfred gasped at the unmistakable feeling of fangs sinking into his skin.

In a way, the wooden slat had been more painful. Herbert’s fangs were sharp, and they sunk into Alfred’s skin like a knife into butter. Alfred dimly thought to himself that they would leave clean cuts that would heal quite nicely before his nerves caught up to his brain and the pain set in.

Alfred grit his teeth, hissing in the cold air to try and ignore the feeling of Herbert gnawing on his arm. At one point he squeezed his eyes shut. He thought to himself that he should relax, that tensing the muscles in his arm was only making this worse, but it hurt oh God it hurt…

…until it…didn’t.

Like a gentle wave washing over fevered skin, the white hot stabbing subsided, replaced with a more low and warm feeling. The pounding of Alfred’s heart calmed and his breathing evened, even as he was dimly aware of the feeling of Herbert’s lips still against his skin and his teeth in his flesh.

It just didn’t hurt anymore.

In fact it felt…nice.

Alfred’s breathing quickened a little then as the not-unpleasant warmth curled low in his gut. His eyes fluttered open, and he met Herbert’s bright, hungry gaze as the vampire licked at his wrist.

A punched-out gasp escaped Alfred, and then he collapsed.

Chapter Text

The first thing Alfred realized was that he was warm.

This was followed by the sound of crackling fire, the smell of smoke, the feeling of something soft wrapped around him…all these senses gradually came to him as Alfred slowly awoke.

He felt safe, even.

And then he remembered.

Alfred's eyes snapped open and a soft gasp escaped him. The vrykolakas. Herbert had…no, no Alfred had let Herbert…

Oh God. Oh God was he…?

“You’re awake!”

There was a flurry of movement, and then Herbert’s face came into view as the vampire instantly came to rest by Alfred’s side. His hair was in disarray and his eyes were wide with worry, and Alfred noticed that what remained of his lavender finery was in tatters.

“When you collapsed, I thought I’d taken too much,” Herbert babbled, his eyes darting over Alfred’s face as if to check if he were truly alright. “But your heartbeat seemed strong. I realized you hadn’t slept properly since before waking me, and that nonsense with the vrykolakas was so stressful…”

“Am I…” Alfred’s voice sounded scratchy to his own ears, and he realized, with a sudden pang of fear, that he was thirsty. “Am I a…?”

Herbert’s eyes darted back to meet Alfred’s, and he shook his head.

“No,” he said softly. “No, I didn’t bring you close enough to death for the transformation to take…your heart still beats, cheri. But if you need more proof…”

Herbert moved, reaching over Alfred. The academic went a little cross-eyed, and at this proximity noticed that the skin of Herbert’s chest no longer bore the gaping wounds that had been there, last Alfred remembered. Only three faint, diagonal scars remained.

“Here you are, darling.” Alfred’s eyes darted back up to Herbert’s face, and he reached out with shaky hands for the mirror that Herbert offered him. With a shaky sigh of relief, Alfred saw his own, terrified, pale face staring back at him. He had never been so relieved to see his own reflection.

“One moment,” Herbert excused himself, standing to drift off somewhere else. Alfred blinked, and stared after him a moment before turning his gaze to their surroundings.

It was lit only by the crackling fireplace on the opposite wall, and it was small. A one-room house by the looks of it, with Alfred wrapped up in the one bed of the place. He blinked as he took in the knickknacks, the obviously hand-knitted scarves hanging on the wall, the hand-carved horses on a nearby shelf…even the furniture spoke of a hand closer to home constructing it, with how they were slightly off-balance and roughly sanded.

Alfred’s throat tightened. Someone had lived here. And now…

“Here you are, darling,” Herbert returned and traded Alfred the mirror for a mug of water. Alfred greedily gulped it down, while Herbert gave his lack of reflection a brief, mournful look before sighing and setting the looking glass aside.

“Are you hungry?” Herbert asked when Alfred had taken a pause to breathe. “What am I saying – of course you are, and you lost all that blood too…oh I should have had this ready for you to begin with. I’m so thoughtless. Excuse me another moment my dear while I…”

Herbert rambled off as he once again left Alfred’s side, and the academic blinked after the vampire who continued to mumble to himself as he left the house. Alfred opened his mouth…and then closed it once more. He settled back against the pillows, and he sighed a little.

It really was nice to be able to just lie down for a moment. Herbert had been right; he hadn’t rested properly since before waking him. And with how Abronsius had interrupted the previous night’s sleep too…

…he’d been going on roughly thirty-six hours awake, with only four hours of sleep.

Alfred closed his eyes.

He’d done worse when preparing for exams, but studying and trying to smuggle a vampire out of a country were two very different stressors.

Herbert was right. He did need some proper sleep.

Alfred’s eyes snapped open when the door to the hut burst back open, and he stared as Herbert came strolling in with a very large bag that was, most concerningly, leaking blood from the bottom.

“What is that?!” Alfred exclaimed, scooting back on the bed and his eyes widening.

“Hm? Oh, a bear!” Herbert chirped.

Alfred stared at Herbert.

“A bear?”

“Well, I had to eat something else. Your blood was divine, mon cheri, but as rejuvenating as it was, I needed a little something extra to truly sate me. And then I thought it would be in poor taste to let it go to waste, and surely you would need something to eat once you awoke, so I skinned and cut it into manageable bits!”

Alfred stared at Herbert, and then noted the extra bloodstains on his person. “...you can skin a bear?”

“Of course!” Herbert sniffed as he set the bag down by the fireplace. “Now, I think I saw some seasonings in the cabinets there…it’s been some time since I’ve enjoyed human food, but I would never ask you to eat unseasoned meat. You’ve already been through enough.”

Herbert continued to idly chat to Alfred as he cooked, and Alfred watched the vampire with some bemusement. It was odd, a bit like watching a child mimic what they had seen their parents do. Herbert clearly knew what, in theory, went into cooking food, but had also quite clearly not had much in the way of practice.

He said he was a viscount, Alfred thought to himself as he watched Herbert scrutinize the various cuts of meat he had acquired. Even when he was human, he probably had people to prepare food for him…

In the end, what Herbert ended up giving to Alfred was something that, if Alfred was being generous, was very rustic-looking, was a bit overcooked, and was seasoned with a bit too much salt.

But it was not the worst thing Alfred had ever eaten, and it was indeed quite welcome considering he had lost a substantial amount of blood, and had only eaten an inadvisable amount of coffee and a singular apple the day before.

And there was something oddly endearing in the way Herbert hovered nervously nearby, hair sticking to his face after having worked over the fire for so long and a bit of paprika smudged onto his forehead.

“Thank you,” Alfred said, downcasting his eyes when he had finished. “And, Herbert, I’m…I’m sorry. This whole mess was my fault. If I hadn't—”

“Your fault?” Herbert blinked down at Alfred. “Darling, you couldn’t have known the vryolakas would be here.”

“No, but I was the one who insisted we leave the train. If I hadn’t…”

“That’s because that awful boy from the university was there,” Herbert said, his brow furrowing and his nose wrinkling in distaste. “You were just trying to protect me.”

Alfred looked away.

“...and if I wasn’t?” he quietly asked. “If I…if I was trying to protect him? If I didn’t want you to kill him or…or whoever he was reporting to?”

Herbert was quiet a moment, and Alfred felt his heart clench.

“Well,” Herbert said, and Alfred glanced warily over at the vampire. His expression was hard to decipher. “Then I would say you hardly know me, so I suppose this slight on my character could be allowed.”

He turned his sharp gaze to Alfred. “And even with the peril that was brought to me by the vrykolakas…your own character shone through quite clearly, with how you insisted I leave you behind, and then again with how you shared your blood with me…”

Herbert reached across Alfred to gently take his injured arm in hand. Alfred noticed then that his arm had been wrapped in what looked like torn strips of lavender silk.

“However horrible this detour has been, I hope it has proven something of my character to you, as well.”

Herbert pressed a light kiss to the back of Alfred’s hand before setting it down on the bed once more. Alfred’s mouth felt dry again.

“So…” Alfred licked his lips. “We’re…we’re even, then?”

“Even?” Herbert tilted his head.

“You…you saved my life. With the vrykolakas,” Alfred stammered.

“Hm, I suppose I did. How brave of me,” Herbert preened a little, and then grinned down at Alfred. “And then you saved me once more, by feeding me your blood. Which means the debt for you waking me remains yet unpaid. And seeing as you don’t want to join our ranks of the Night, I suppose you’ll have to think about what it is you want instead!”

Herbert booped Alfred’s nose with his finger as his eyes twinkled in amusement. “You’ve got plenty of time to think about it, of course. I imagine we still have quite a ways to go before we reach home. But for now, rest! You’ve earned it, my dear.”

Though Alfred’s face was burning, he nodded his head at Herbert. Truly, his exhaustion was outweighing his embarrassment, and once his eyes closed it took very little for him to drift off into sleep once more.

Chapter Text

When Alfred awoke again, it was to the sight of moonlight filtering through the window and the comfortable, deep feeling of a much-needed rest in his bones. He sighed, closing his eyes and letting the remnants of sleep gently fade instead of forcing himself to wakefulness. He hadn’t had the luxury of sleeping in late in a long time.

But as he allowed his eyes to flicker back open and lazily take in the room, he noticed something off.

Or rather, someone missing.

“Herbert?” his voice was still thick with sleep, but his own rising concern was overcoming his weariness. “Herbert?!”

“Ow!”

Alfred flinched as he heard a thump! and felt something jostle the bedframe. He scrambled, and leaned over the bed to look under it and…

“What are you doing under the bed?!”

“Well I needed to sleep somewhere the sun wouldn’t reach!”

“You slept on the floor?!”

“You were sleeping on the only bed, my dear. Unless you’re suggesting we share…”

“Nevermind! Just…get out from under there!”

Herbert laughed as he rolled out from under the bed, though he remained lying on the floor for a moment as he grinned up at Alfred (who was trying very hard not to notice that Herbert still was wearing the tattered remains of what could really barely be called a shirt anymore, and that it was covering very little.)

“Feeling better, dear Alfred?” Alfred’s eyes shot back up to Herbert’s face, and he noticed the vampire was smirking. Alfred’s ears burned.

“Yes,” Alfred murmured. “...we should get going soon. And we need to get you out of those clothes.”

Herbert’s eyes glinted. “Why darling I thought you’d never—”

“I mean—” Alfred spluttered. “We need to find you some new ones.”

“Oh,” Herbert sighed as he spared his tattered silk a regretful look. “Yes, I’m afraid this is quite ruined…”

“Maybe,” Alfred said, throwing the blankets off himself and standing up. “We can find something here to fit you.”

He glanced around the room, and felt another pang as he thought about whoever might have once lived here, but he tried to push that away. He walked up to one of the dressers, reached out to pull it open…

But he stopped, his hand going to rest on the surface of it.

There, carved into the lower right corner of the dresser, two letters had been carved into the wood. A.Z.

Alfred’s eyes stung a little.

“Alfred?”

Alfred heard the whisper of fabric, felt the disturbance in the air as Herbert came up behind him.

“Are they all dead?” Alfred asked, his voice quiet.

“The vrykolakas? Don’t worry darling, I gathered what was left of them, burned them to be safe..”

“No,” Alfred shook his head and sniffed. “No, no the…the people. The person this house belonged to…are they all…?”

Herbert went quiet for a moment, and then he reached around Alfred, gently tracing his long pale fingers over the letters carved into the wood.

“...maybe not,” his voice was soft. It was almost kind. “I expect some had the sense to flee, when it began. Just because their things were left behind, doesn’t mean they were killed. They probably didn’t have time to gather everything…it would have had to have been quick.”

Alfred sniffed and numbly nodded his head.

He didn’t know, of course. Couldn’t know for certain whether the person who lived here was alive or dead, but…but he could pretend.

And he could also pretend to ignore the possibility that Herbert was lying. The vrykolakas were so fast, if Herbert couldn’t outrun them, what chance did…

No. No.

He would pretend.

“I can search for new clothes on my own, darling,” Herbert said, his voice still soft. “...I think I saw some winter berries out back. I’m afraid I’m not versed enough in botany to know if they’re poisonous or not, but perhaps…”

“I’ll go,” Alfred sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I know which ones to avoid.”

He strode very quickly then out of the house, and pretended he didn’t notice how Herbert had reached for him, before withdrawing his hand.

He was able to identify the unknown fruit as holly berries almost instantly, but Alfred remained outside anyhow, grateful for the distraction of the crisp winter air.

But out back there were further signs of life. A workbench, discarded tools that had gathered ice and snow. Against his better judgment Alfred brushed the lingering frost off the work surface, examined some of the tools…

A saw. A chisel. A hammer. Alfred thought about the carved horses in the home, about the dresser with the initials on it…

A woodworker. A carpenter.

Alfred imagined a man, then. Tall, Herbert’s height, so his clothes would fit him. He’d clearly been here for some time, so he was older, with gray streaking through his hair and his beard. But he was strong, broad-shouldered and well-muscled, and his hands were worn from working with his tools all day…

You had to be able to plan to be a carpenter. Had to know how to fit things together, what parts would lead to what complete project…

That kind of man could have been smart enough to see the impending doom. Maybe he tried to warn the others, when the first vampire swept through the town and left the soon-to-be vrykolakas dead. He didn’t know how to properly dispose of the bodies, but he knew the nails weren’t enough. Knew something was wrong. Maybe he had been able to gather some of the families, some of the children, maybe…maybe they had left in time.

Alfred’s hands dug into the wood-working bench as he sniffled again, and he held tightly onto that thought, to that dream.

When Herbert called Alfred back in, Alfred saw that his initial assumptions hadn’t been too far off. Whoever had owned the clothes Herbert was currently wearing had only been a few inches shorter than the vampire, but broader. The trousers Herbert wore showed a bit of pale ankle, and had clearly been severely belted around Herbert’s slim waist. The plain white shirt was clearly meant for a wider frame, but the way Herbert had tucked it in at the waist made it seem less like an ill-fitting fashion choice and more like he was dressed like…some sort of swash-buckling pirate.

Alfred managed to push away his melancholy thoughts enough to marvel at how unfair it was that the vampire was able to make ill-fitting clothes look good.

“Not the worst thing I’ve worn!” Herbert said as he twirled around. “And I found a sensible cloak, too, for appearances. I’ll blend in this way, so that nasty Professor Ravioli—”

“Alibori.”

“—that horrible Professor will be expecting me in my noble finery, not in disguise as a peasant!” Herbert jetéd over to the wall, where he grabbed a brown canvas cloak and dramatically threw it over his shoulders. He took one end of the cloth and brought it up to cover the lower half of his face as he wiggled his eyebrows.

“He’ll never spot me now!”

In spite of himself, Alfred found himself smiling a little at Herbert’s antics, and he noticed how the vampire seemed to perk up a little in response.

“Indeed,” Alfred said. “You’ll blend right in, except…”

“Except what?”

“You’re so tall.”

“Well I don’t see what we can do about that,” Herbert huffed. “It’s not my fault everyone else is so short.”

“And, your hair…”

“What about my hair?”

“It’s just…no one really wears it long like that right now…”

“We are not cutting my hair!” Herbert gasped, hands dropping the cloak to protectively cover his hair. Alfred quickly shook his head.

“No! No I wasn’t suggesting…just, maybe, we could tie it back? So it’s less obvious.”

“Oh,” Herbert relaxed when it became clear Alfred was not going to take a knife to his hair. “Well, I have been known to use a hair ribbon every so often. Though I’m not sure…”

Herbert looked around, humming slightly as he began to rifle through what was available.

I doubt the man who lived here had a hair ribbon, Alfred thought to himself. He was probably a sensible sort who kept it short…

Alfred rubbed at the back of his neck…and then his eyes brightened. “Oh! You can use this!”

Herbert turned around as Alfred quickly loosened the red bow-tie around his neck. “It’s not really meant for hair, but I expect it’ll work just fine.”

Herbert stared at the cloth Alfred held out to him. “You…want me to use your bow tie?”

Alfred blinked, and then he flushed slightly. Of course. It had been around his sweaty neck, of course Herbert didn’t want that in his hair. “I–I only meant—”

And then Herbert snatched the tie from Alfred’s hands, staring down at it with wide eyes. His fingers passed over the fabric of it, admiring it like it was the finest silks and not a simple strip of linen cloth.

And then he looked up at Alfred, his blue eyes shining as he clutched the tie close to his chest.

“Thank you, Alfred,” he said genuinely. “I would be delighted to.”

Alfred flushed and looked down at his feet.

“It’s nothing,” he stammered. “Um, if you’ve gotten everything you need…”

“I have!” Herbert chirped as he deftly tied his hair back. “I packed a few spare changes of clothes, just in case. And your things are still packed too, of course. Would you like to change as well before we depart?”

Alfred hurriedly nodded his head as he walked over to his suitcase, and crouched down as he began to rifle through it.

But then he stopped, and he turned to stare blankly at Herbert, who was innocently perched on the edge of the bed with his hands clasped in his lap and a serene smile on his face.

“Um, Herbert?”

“Yes, mon cheri?”

“...do you…mind?”

“Not at all,” Herbert said with a smirk.

Alfred’s ears burned, but he tried to level what he hoped was a stern look at the vampire. “Herbert.”

“Oh, alright,” Herbert sighed and waved his hand as he stood and glided over to the door. “Though you have nothing to be embarrassed for in front of me, my dear. I’m sure every bit of you is as lovely as your face.”

“Herbert.”

“In fact, I’ve gotten quite a good idea on some of it, due to the fit of your trousers…”

“Herbert!”

The vampire’s laugh echoed in the room, even after he left. Alfred was still flushing.

And oddly enough, he felt his heart tighten a little as he caught a glimpse of the red tie in Herbert’s hair, as he bounded out the door.

Chapter Text

“So, this is Warsaw?”

Herbert bounded almost immediately to the window when they arrived at their room. Herbert had hidden in Alfred’s pocket as a bat again, so that Alfred could get away with only having to pay for a single room without arousing suspicion.

“Eager to have me in close quarters, are you?” Herbert had grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

“I have to save money where I can, Herbert,” Alfred flushed. “I’ll need to buy another train ticket.”

“We could always steal.”

“Herbert!”

“Only from rich people, if you’re going to be stingy about it.”

“Herbert.”

“So that’s a no, then?”

So now here they were, in a dingy single-bedroom with creaky floors and a bed that looked just about ready to fall apart. Alfred was just glad Herbert didn’t seem to mind the poor lodgings…

“I was hoping we’d left the train farther along the way,” Alfred sighed as he pulled out his map. “We’ve still got so long to go…”

Herbert hummed, clearly only half-listening as he looked out the window, eyes scanning the city.

“There’s another train headed for Budapest,” Alfred murmured, pulling out a train schedule he’d swiped and setting it down next to the map. “But if Alibori is waiting for us there…”

“Budapest is a big city, darling,” Herbert called from the window. “I doubt he’d be able to find us there.”

“I know,” Alfred sighed. “But I don’t want to risk it…I wonder how much time it would take if we took the train to Bratislava instead. We might be able to transfer to a train directly to Cluj-Napoca from there…”

Alfred looked up and saw that Herbert was, absolutely, not listening, his gaze far off and dreamy as he stared at the lights of the city.

And Alfred hesitated.

He said he hadn’t been outside Transylvania in two hundred years…

“...Herbert?” Alfred called. Instantly the vampire turned, his bright eyes landing on Alfred’s face as he smiled.

“Yes, Alfred?”

“...how…quickly do you want to get back home?”

“The time matters little, so long as I get to enjoy your company on the way,” Herbert instantly answered with a smile.

Alfred flushed. “No, I mean…would you…mind if we…took a longer route there?”

“It means I get to spend more time with you,” Herbert said, his smile widening. “Of course I don’t mind. Why do you ask, darling?”

“It’s just…” Alfred looked back at the map. “...I’ve had another idea.”

~~

“You’re right!” Herbert laughed in delight. “This is much more fun.”

“I told yo — ah!”

Alfred yelped as he was pulled in another direction by the dance. Hands he didn’t recognize were yanking at his arms, pulling him this way and that in the steps of a folk dance he was unfamiliar with.

He and Herbert had originally only been passing through this village, but then Herbert had been distracted by the lights of a local wedding, and they had somehow managed to get themselves invited last minute to the festivities. Herbert had been delighted, of course, and Alfred found he couldn’t think of a good reason to say no.

And now he was tripping over his own feet as he tried to not tumble into the very nice villagers who invited two total strangers to celebrate their wedding.

Alfred made an ‘oof’ noise when he bumped into a much more solid chest, and looked up to find Herbert grinning down at him. The vampire grinned and threw his arms around Alfred triumphantly.

“Caught you!” he chirped.

“Herbert!” Alfred squeaked as he tried to wiggle free. “We’re…the…the dance —”

“Has shifted, it seems,” Herbert retorted with a small smirk. And when Alfred looked around he noticed that the fiddle players were playing a softer, more crooning tune as the villagers either settled or swayed with a partner. Alfred still flushed.

“They’ll ask questions,” he murmured. Herbert’s eyebrow quirked upwards, but understanding seemed to flicker across his gaze.

To Alfred’s surprise, he released him, and instead led Alfred over to a table to have a seat.

“Cider, darling?” Herbert asked, and grateful for the distraction, Alfred nodded.

“Aren’t you going to have some?” Alfred asked when Herbert brought him a mug. Herbert gave a long-suffering sigh.

“Alas. It holds no joy for me anymore. But you can go ahead and enjoy it for both of us.”

Alfred accepted the mug and sipped at it as Herbert settled next to him. For a moment they just watched the few dancing couples, and the silence settled comfortably between them.

“They seem happy,” Herbert said, inclining his head towards the newlywed couple. “They must have been impatient, to get married in the dead of winter like this.”

Alfred watched them as well. The groom said something that made the bride throw her head back and howl with laughter. She was a big, boisterous woman, and she slammed her fist on the table before she devolved into snorting, giggling laughter. And all the while the groom’s eyes sparkled with unabashed affection and adoration.

“...they’re lucky,” Alfred said a bit wistfully. “Look at how comfortable they are around each other…I can barely speak in front of someone I fancy, much less laugh so hard I almost puke.”

“Fancied many people, have you?” Herbert asked, and perhaps Alfred was imagining it, but there seemed to be a bit of an edge to the vampire’s usual teasing then.

But Alfred just flushed and looked down at the mug cupped between his hands.

“Just a few,” he murmured. “And nothing ever came of it.”

“Why not?” He could feel the way the vampire’s eyes were boring into him. Alfred still refused to meet his gaze, and only shrugged.

“I never said anything,” he said. “And I’m…there were usually other people who caught their eye. More interesting people.”

Herbert was silent for a moment, and Alfred absent-mindedly kicked at some of the snow by his boot.

“What a shame,” Herbert said, and he sniffed. “It sounds as if those fools needed their eyes checked. They weren’t worth your time, mon cheri, if they did not know a true treasure when they saw one.”

Alfred’s ears burned. “I’m not…”

“You are taking an impromptu expedition across Europe to help guide a monster back home,” Herbert retorted with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“You’re not a monster!” Alfred blurted, and then he clamped his mouth shut and hoped none of the nearby locals had heard that particular outburst.

Still, Herbert’s eyes glinted with something like triumph as he smiled down at Alfred. “But that’s not what you’ve been taught, is it?”

Alfred caught a glimpse of fang then in Herbert’s grin, and he gulped but did not flinch when Herbert reached out one slender finger to trace along Alfred’s jawline.

“You’ve only ever been taught that my ilk are to be feared and despised,” Herbert murmured. “And yet you still went through such lengths to free me…and have continued beyond that to help me get back home.”

Gently, Herbert rested two fingers beneath Alfred’s chin and tilted the young man’s face up, so he could look him in the eye.

“Not many would do such a thing, Alfred,” there was a surprising intensity to Herbert’s voice, like he was trying to make sure that Alfred heard what he was saying. “You are a rare treasure, my dear.”

Alfred’s head was swimming, and he wasn’t sure if it was because of the intensity of Herbert’s gaze or because the cider was stronger than he could handle.

He felt like he couldn’t accept a compliment so great, but the firmness in Herbert’s voice left little room for discussion.

“...thank you,” he whispered instead, and Herbert smiled. He traced his finger over Alfred’s cheek one last time before releasing his face and settling back into his seat.

“And of course,” Herbert said far too casually. “You also have the cutest bum I’ve ever seen.”

“Herbert!”

~~

“Herbert, we can’t be here!” Alfred whispered.

The vampire scoffed and waved his hand. “Oh, darling, don’t worry so much. With my hearing I’ll be able to tell when any stray watchmen come too close.”

Alfred still cast a nervous glance down the empty hall.

“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” he murmured. “I can’t believe you broke into the Princes Czartoryski Museum.”

“We broke into the Princes Czartoryski Museum,” Herbert corrected with a grin and a bump of his hip. “And it’s not like we’re doing anything wrong! We’re just having a look.”

“It’s open during the day, Herbert. When I won’t get in trouble for breaking in.”

“Mmm, true,” Herbert hummed and turned around. “But you’re always so tired during the day…and I know you don’t spend more than an hour at most out when I’m sleeping the sun away.”

Alfred flushed and looked away.

“I just…I get nervous that someone might come by to check on the room, or…”

“I know,” Herbert’s voice was surprisingly soft, and Alfred flinched when he noticed how close Herbert had come without him realizing it. “You’re very thoughtful. But the whole point of taking the long way around was to have a bit of fun, wasn’t it? And I saw how excited you were when you spotted this place.”

Alfred flushed again, and Herbert smiled.

“You deserve this, mon cheri,” Herbert assured him. “And I promise to be on my best behavior! No havoc shall be wrought tonight! We’re just having a nice, quiet, private tour where we get the entire museum to ourselves! No annoying tourists or screaming children to distract us.”

Herbert lightly booped Alfred’s nose with his finger, and his eyes glinted with amusement.

“And you don’t have any excuses for running out to check up on me out of fear I’ve been discovered, or incinerated by a stray ray of sunlight.”

Alfred stubbornly looked away, but couldn’t help it when his gaze was pulled further down the hall…

“The library here has books from the last king of Poland,” he whispered, and he couldn’t help the faint yearning he felt…

Herbert’s grin widened.

“Then why don’t we start there?” he suggested. “And you can regale me with other wonderful tidbits of information you have stored away.”

Alfred only briefly hesitated before nodding his head, and Herbert’s grin widened.

“Well, then,” he reached out to take Alfred’s hand. “Why don’t you lead the way?”

The swell of affection Alfred felt in that moment surprised even himself as he looked up at the vampire.

“And,” Herbert’s eyes took on a familiar glint as he leaned forward. “If any watchman should disrupt us…why, I’m sure we’ll find a nice, cozy alcove to snuggle in while we wait for them to leave…”

Alfred gave Herbert’s arm a light shove as the vampire laughed.

“I think the library is this way,” he grumbled, ignoring how his ears burned.

But he kept hold of Herbert’s hand all the same as he led him down the hall.

~~

Alfred did his best to quietly re-enter the room he and Herbert shared. The measures he took for silence were unneeded, though. The vampire slept like…well…the dead. And when Alfred turned to check on him, he saw Herbert was still fast asleep, wrapped up tightly in the blankets of the bed. Alfred couldn’t help the fond smile that crept onto his lips as he watched him, and then looked down at the bag he had clutched in hand…

He had half a mind to just leave it on the table, to exit the room entirely and let Herbert discover it for himself, with Alfred out of view. There was a small, nervous coil in his stomach. What if he’d picked out the wrong kind? What if Herbert didn’t like it?

But another part of Alfred, one that was slowly growing stronger with each day, wanted to see Herbert’s reaction on the off-chance that he did like it. And he’d seen how wistfully Herbert had looked at the society elites when they strode through the streets…and he’d made a comment about how lovely the rogue on a woman’s face was…

So when Herbert awoke, yawning and stretching like a cat, Alfred was seated in the corner, book in hand. He glanced up and offered a polite ‘good evening,’ which the vampire sleepily replied to.

Alfred’s fingers tapped nervously against the spine of the book as he kept his eyes glued to the page and listened to the rustle of sheets, of the creak of the floorboards as Herbert stood…

The creaking stopped. The room became deafeningly silent.

“Alfred?”

Alfred barely glanced up from the book, almost afraid to meet Herbert's gaze. But he saw the vampire was instead staring down at the box Alfred has so carefully wrapped with a lavender ribbon.

"...what is this?"

Alfred tried to quell the nervous fluttering in his stomach. "Ah. A present. For…for you."

Herbert turned his large blue eyes to stare at Alfred.

"You got me a present?" He asked, his voice soft and tiny.

Alfred could feel his ears starting to turn red as he nodded. "Just…just a little something. Nothing…nothing too fancy."

"Oh, but it's from you!" Herbert was practically vibrating, his eyes bright and bursting with emotions Alfred couldn't quite parse. "Can I open it now? Please?"

Alfred nodded, and Herbert gave him a smile so bright and dazzling he thought he might faint. The vampire seemed to force himself to go slow, delicately untying the ribbon instead of tearing into the box like he so clearly wanted to.

What was I thinking? I know nothing about makeup! He's going to hate it he's going to…

The gasp that escaped Herbert's lips when he opened the box broke through Alfred's self conscious ramblings. The vampire's hands flew to his mouth, and then he immediately began to lift out the contents of the box, examining them one by one.

"Oh, Alfred! But I thought…I thought money was…"

"I was able to spare some," Alfred said, his ears growing even more pink. "With not having to pay for the train…and with what we've been saving with only using one room…"

Alfred almost fell out of his chair then as Herbert launched himself at him, a squeak escaping him as he and Herbert went tumbling to the floor with the force of the vampire's hug.

"Herbert!"

"Oh, oh I'm sorry darling, I just…" Herbert pulled back from the hug to give Alfred that brilliant, happy smile again. "Oh, I love it darling. Thank you. Thank you so much for thinking of me."

Alfred's entire face was red, but he couldn't help the smile that spread onto his lips.

He's not saying this just to be nice. He…really likes it.

"You're welcome, Herbert."

Herbert grinned again, and Alfred was suddenly very aware of their proximity, of the weight of Herbert above him, and his face grew even more red. He licked his lips, and there was a sudden, terrifying and knowing glint in Herbert’s gaze as he looked down at Alfred.

And then he gave Alfred a quick, friendly peck on the cheek before hopping back up to his feet and twirling over to his new present.

Alfred needed to lie down for a little longer.

~~

"I never knew these cities could be so lively at night!"

Alfred smiled as he watched Herbert skip through the streets. The vampire's eyes were bright, reflecting the light of the street lamps.

It was some sort of festival that Alfred wasn't familiar with. On any other occasion he'd have been furiously taking notes, asking the locals about their practices and the history behind the celebrations…

…but Herbert's joy was infectious, and all Alfred could think was how happy and alive he looked.

"You've never been to something like this?" Alfred asked, tearing his gaze away from the vampire's face before he became too enamored with his beauty once more.

Herbert shook his head. "Not since I was turned…and the villages near home are so bleak at night. Retiring by sundown, putting crucifixes on their doors…how boorish. And they all stink of garlic, too."

Herbert stopped then, to watch as a young boy tugged on his mother's dress to bother her until she bought him one of the sticky, sugary candies that was being sold by a vendor. He sighed.

"I miss sweets," he said with a pout.

Alfred tilted his head. "...you said that human food is dull for you now. How much can you still taste?"

Herbert pouted even more. "I don't remember," he admitted. "It's been so long…but everything pales in comparison to blood…especially yours, my dear."

Herbert leered closer and offered Alfred a little smirk, and Alfred replied with a flush and a swat to Herbert’s arm. "Stop that. And I don't think that's a good enough answer."

"What do you mean?" Herbert asked, but Alfred was already walking with a purpose towards the vendor. "Eh? Alfred! Are you ignoring me?!"

"You're so dramatic!" Alfred laughed as he returned, carrying with him a small basket of sweets. Herbert pouted at the admonishment, and sighed further when he caught sight of the cookies.

"Alfred, it's hopeless. Father assures me that —mph!"

Herbert was cut off as Alfred shoved one of the sugar coated, jam filled cookies into his mouth. He looked ready to protest, until…

Alfred felt a small thrill of triumph when the vampire's eyes widened, and he very quickly scarfed down the remaining mouthful of cookie.

"Father is a fool and an over dramatic portender of doom," he declared as he grabbed another sweet.

Alfred grinned. "Would you like to see what else they're selling?"

Herbert's eyes brightened. "Can we?!"

Alfred laughed, and took Herbert's sticky, sugar covered hand in his as he pulled him through the market.

~~

"Oh, that was fun!" Herbert laughed as he flopped down onto the bed, eyes bright and catching the remaining rays of moonlight that filtered through the window. "Oh, weddings are even more of a delight when you can drink at them!"

Alfred managed a faint laugh at that, but the wine he and Herbert had both generously partaken in made it difficult for him to come up with a proper response to that.

So instead he just slumped onto the bed next to Herbert.

“I can’t believe we weren’t caught,” he said. “I was sure someone would realize we weren’t supposed to be there…”

“Oh, I think even the happy couple barely recognized a quarter of the people there,” Herbert said with a wave of his hand. “High society weddings like that…half the guestlist are just business partners of the parents and other important people they want to impress.”

Alfred hummed, but didn’t have anything to say to that. He didn’t know much about high society. He was a studying archeologist, not a social elite.

“But I have to say,” Herbert went on, and Alfred thought it incredibly unfair how Herbert was able to string together such eloquent sentences when his own brain was currently a wine-slogged mush. “I actually preferred the peasant wedding we went to…it seemed much happier. Much more alive.”

Alfred’s mind wasn’t capable of much at the moment, but it was able to latch onto that last word.

"Do you miss it?” he asked “Being alive, I mean?"

Herbert was quiet for a moment.

"Sometimes," he admitted. "I occasionally fancy what it would be like to see the sun again, to feel its warmth…oh, to see my reflection again."

Alfred cracked a grin at Herbert's mournful sigh.

"But the human world held nothing for me," Herbert said, and Alfred's brow furrowed.

"...what do you mean?"

"I would never have been happy, if I'd lived out my mortal life in human society," Herbert said plainly. "Men like me didn't get to have sunlit weddings."

He rolled onto his side then to meet Alfred's gaze. "We still don't, if the fact that you and I must keep our joint lodgings a secret is any indication…or why you were so reluctant to dance openly with me."

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Alfred recognized that what was happening right now was important. But his wine addled brain was having trouble focusing on anything other than how pretty Herbert looked, haloed by the moonlight.

"So," Herbert went on. "I decided if I was going to have to live my life in the shadows…I might as well do it in my father's world. He at least never once judged me. None of the vampire's in his Court did. And what is the point of Heaven, if I can never share it with the person I love?"

A soft puff of air escaped Alfred, and his eyes fluttered closed. Herbert reached out to brush a stray curl from his forehead, and Alfred unconsciously leaned into the touch.

"Did you ever find them?" Alfred asked, his voice small and quiet. "That person?"

Herbert was quiet again, and as Alfred was on the cusp of sleep, he wasn’t sure if it was only another dream when he heard Herbert murmure “I have.”

Chapter Text

“I’m going to go up for a better look.”

“Herbert, you’ll be thrown by the wind!”

“It’s not that strong!”

“It almost knocked me over!”

“That’s because you’ve got such a lovely, delicate frame.”

“And you won’t when you’re the size of an owl?”

“I’m sure I can manage.”

“Herb—”

Alfred was cut off by an indignant, almost panicked screech as a snowy owl tried to take off and then promptly was thrown back by the wind and directly into Alfred’s face. Alfred went toppling over into the snow, but had enough sense to try and reach up and catch the owl before the wind carried it off.

Thankfully, the owl became Herbert a moment later, and the vampire smiled sheepishly down at Alfred.

“...perhaps these winds are a bit too strong for flight.”

Alfred let his head thunk back into the snow with a groan.

They’d left the last major city three days ago, and were currently trying to traverse the much more sparsely inhabited mountainous region of Herbert’s homeland. Alfred had been hoping that locating Herbert’s home would be easier, once they’d gotten this close…

…except this snowstorm had hit, and Herbert had no idea where they were.

“There has to be something nearby,” Alfred huffed. “Can you sense anything? Any signs of life?”

“In these conditions?” Herbert scrunched up his nose and squinted as he looked off. “I can barely smell you, and I’m right on top of you.”

“Yes. You are.” Alfred was grateful that the stinging wind had already made his cheeks red, but there was no hiding the strangled quality his voice had taken on.

Herbert smirked down at Alfred, but fluidly rose to his feet and helped the academic up out of the snow as well. Alfred brushed the worst of the snow off himself while Herbert put his hands on his hips and continued to squint through the wind.

“We need to find some sort of shelter!” Alfred stuck his hands in his armpits in a further attempt to ward against the cold, and Herbert sighed.

“There should be at least a cave or…wait.” Herbert leaned forward a little as he looked off into the distance.

“What?” Alfred asked.

“I can’t be sure, but…”

“But?”

“It looks like there…might be some sort of light in the distance?”

Alfred instantly straightened. “A town?”

“Maybe. Or an old hunter’s cabin. Can’t be sure from this distance.”

“It’s all we’ve got,” Alfred said. “Let’s go.”

“Allow me.”

Herbert scooped Alfred up into his arms, and began to run against the freezing wind and snow. Alfred tucked his head against Herbert’s chest to shield from the worst of it, but his teeth still chattered.

When Herbert came to a stop and Alfred peaked his head out, he could have cried from relief. A village! A small one by the looks of it, but there was an inn that was very clearly inhabited, with warm light spilling from the windows.

“Oh, thank God,” Alfred breathed as Herbert set him down.

“God had nothing to do with it,” Herbert sniffed. “I found this place.”

“Yes, yes. Thank you Herbert,” Alfred chattered. “Now…?”

Herbert sighed. “Back to hiding, yes yes.”

Only when Herbert was bat-sized and safely snuggled into his coat did Alfred finally push through the doors to the inn. He was instantly greeted by the warmth of the crackling fire, by the laughing of the patrons, and by the smell of stew cooking in the kitchen.

“A guest!” A portly woman with red cheeks instantly came over, shoving through the drunken patrons and squinting up at Alfred.

“H-hello,” he stammered, and only just remembered to politely remove his hat. “I’m traveling through here, and—”

“In this weather?” Alfred got the distinctive feeling that he was being scolded as the woman stared at him. “What were you thinking?”

“Well, the storm caught me by surprise, and…”

“Oh, you’re shivering. Magda! Get this boy a bowl of soup. Come here, sit by the fire.”

“I—”

Alfred attempted to protest, but the woman dragged him to a chair nearest the fire and shoved him so he was sitting down. A pretty barmaid with strawberry blonde hair and tired eyes – focus on the eyes, Alfred, don’t be a lecher, focus on the eyes – came by a moment later with a bowl of steaming stew. And in spite of the fact that Alfred was very aware of the fact that Herbert was still squished into his pocket, he gratefully accepted the stew.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Alfred dipped his head towards the barmaid, and then looked up at the innkeeper. “And you, too. Um, do you have any rooms available? I can pay of course…”

“You’ll need my husband for that,” the woman sniffed. “He’s the owner. I’ll go get him. In the meantime, eat.”

Alfred obediently shoveled a few spoonfuls of stew into his mouth as the woman went off, pushing through the patrons once more while calling for her husband. But Alfred paused when he realized the barmaid, Magda, was standing nearby and squinting down at him.

“What were you doing out in that weather?”

Alfred swallowed his mouthful of soup. “Um,” he said. “Passing through…? The storm it…caught us – me, by…by surprise, that’s all.”

She continued to squint at him.

“Traveling where?”

“Uh,” Alfred blinked, cut off guard by this sudden interrogation. “I’m…I’m an academic, I’m doing a research study on folklore in this area. I’ve just been…wandering.”

“And you’ve been “wandering” through these mountains alone?”

“Yes ma’am,” Alfred said as he felt Herbert shift in his pocket.

“Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don’t you know what’s out there?”

“I—”

“Ah! A customer!” Alfred was cut off by a portly man shoving his way through the crowd. Magda stiffened and instantly turned, moving away as the man came closer to smile at Alfred. “Welcome, welcome! Yoine Chagal at your service, young man. Will you be staying with us tonight?”

“Oh, yes please, if you have room!” Alfred instantly stood, awkwardly holding the bowl of soup to his chest.

“We do! Our master suite is available, if you’re interested? And business is so slow with the weather, I can offer it at a reduced price!”

“Oh,” Alfred blinked in surprise. “Of…of course. Thank you very much, Mr. Chagal.”

“Nonsense! Right this way.”

Chagal, thankfully, did not manhandle Alfred like his wife had, and Alfred timidly followed the innkeeper up the stairs, all while still protectively holding his bowl of stew to his chest. Chagal was speaking very animatedly about the wonderful amenities available at his inn, but Alfred was only half listening. Herbert was growing restless in his pocket.

“We’re almost there,” he hissed down at where the bat was. “Hold still.”

“Hm? What was that?”

“Oh!” Alfred jumped and smiled politely at Chagal. “Nothing, sir. Do continue.”

Chagal didn’t seem bothered, and very grandly gestured towards an open door. Alfred scurried into the room, eager to be left alone so Herbert could finally be out, but Chagal likewise pushed his way into the room. Alfred felt Herbert squirm again in annoyance.

“...and of course, you have access to our modern bathroom.”

Alfred was again only half paying attention. Herbert was growing more and more restless by the minute, and he opened his pocket to see the bat glaring up at him.

“What?” Alfred asked in a low hiss. “Just a moment longer—”

“Sarah!”

Alfred jumped and turned to look at Chagal, standing in the door to the open bathroom. Alfred caught a glimpse of a slender leg and a mass of auburn curls before Chagal firmly shut the door and offered Alfred an apologetic smile.

“Do forgive me. My daughter occasionally utilizes this bathroom as well. She will be told not to use it for the duration of your stay.”

“Um,” Alfred blinked at Chagal. “That…seems unnecessary.”

“Nonsense! I won’t have you deprived of our amenities. She’ll be gone in a moment.”

“Oh…alright.”

Chagal lingered long enough to peek his head into the bathroom and snap at his daughter again before shutting it, apologizing to Alfred once more, and then finally left the room. The door was barely closed before Herbert was darting out of Alfred’s pocket, instantly shifting to human form and making a rush for the window. Alfred flinched at the cold air that hit him in the face as Herbert threw open the shutters and stuck his head out into the air.

“Herbert!” Alfred hissed. “What’s gotten into you!”

“Can’t you smell it?” Herbert gasped.

“What? Herbert, close the window, you’re letting all the warm air out!”

“The garlic!”

Alfred blinked, and only then did he look around and notice the bulbs hanging from every wall. His eyes widened.

“Oh…let me…”

Alfred rushed around, grabbing the strands of garlic and then running over to the window. Herbert gave him a wide berth as Alfred chucked the garlic out the window, and only then did he heave a sigh of relief.

“Just leave the window open a moment longer,” Herbert pleaded. “To give the air a chance to freshen up?”

Alfred nodded his head. “Of course. I’m sorry, Herbert, I didn’t notice…”

“It’s alright, my dear,” Herbert said with a wave of his hand. “It’s not truly harmful – not the bulbs, anyhow, and not dried like they are – but oh does it smell horrific.”

Alfred nodded his head, his brow furrowing a little as he went to close the windows. “It’s odd…I wonder why they have it in every room like this. I wonder if it’s a local superstit…”

Alfred trailed off, his eyes widening a little.

“Wait, Herbert?”

“Yes, darling?”

“I…didn’t you say that the village near your father’s castle…they hung garlic all about their houses?”

“Hm? Oh, yes,” Herbert wrinkled his nose. “They’re such boors that way. Absolutely no fun. No vampire’s going to want to come play if you stink up your town like that.”

“Exactly!” Alfred’s eyes widened. “Do you think there’s another vampire nearby?”

Herbert blinked. “Not in these mountains. No one would dare intrude on Father’s territory.”

“Oh.” Alfred frowned. “Wait. Oh, wait, I’m an idiot!”

“What?”

“Herbert!”

“Yes, what?”

“What if the nearby vampire is your father?”

Herbert froze, his eyes widening to the size of saucers.

“Do you think we’re close enough to your father’s castle?” Alfred asked.

“I…I don’t know!” Herbert admitted, still looking taken aback. “I didn’t get a proper look outside with all of the snow…but we…we could be!”

“How near did you say the closest village to his castle was again?”

“A human could travel the distance on foot in…I don’t know…an hour? Maybe less? Koukol makes the journey quite often…”

“Herbert,” Alfred’s face broke into an excited smile. “We could be at your father’s doorstep right now.”

“That’s…” Herbert faltered, and the smile he offered Alfred then was one that looked far too forced. “That’s wonderful.”

Alfred blinked, his own smile fading. He had expected Herbert to show…a bit more excitement at the prospect of almost being home. That had been the whole point of this whole journey, hadn’t it? “Aren’t you…aren’t you happy?”

Herbert’s smile still looked forced. “Of course I am! It’s just the smell of the garlic, it’s left me all out of sorts. Don’t worry your pretty head about it. Oh, speaking of…”

Herbert leaned forward a little, and his nose wrinkled slightly. “Oh no…oh the horrid smell has seeped into your hair. I don’t suppose you could make use of that modern bath…?”

“Oh,” Alfred flushed and took a step back. “Of course, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault. These villagers have a horrid taste in alliums. Why don’t they mix it up? Try shallots or chives instead, by the hells. Or an ONION!”

That brought a small smile to Alfred’s lips, but he still couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his heart.

Chapter Text

When Alfred woke the next morning, the silence outside the window gave Alfred hope. If the winds had calmed, if the storm had let up…he might be able to try and scout for the castle.

He instantly hopped out of bed, already feeling alert and rejuvenated, but still checked on Herbert, just to be safe.

They had decided, with how comfortable Chagal seemed bursting into rooms without knocking, that it would be safest for Herbert to slumber in bat form, high up in the rafters where Chagal could not see and where the light from the window did not reach. Alfred found the albino bat fast asleep, wrapped up in his wings in a dark corner of the rafters, and he smiled faintly.

“You’ll be home soon, Herbert,” he murmured. “And then…”

…and then what?

As Alfred lowered himself back to the ground, he realized with a sudden pang that he had no idea what he was supposed to do once he had delivered Herbert back to his father. Herbert had mentioned more than once that Alfred would be “rewarded,” but…well…Alfred didn’t know what he wanted. What could the Count even offer, besides an immortal life that Alfred was quite certain that he didn’t want?

Well, mostly certain.

Eighty…no….sixty percent certain.

But what else could be offered? Money? That felt cheap. Alfred wouldn’t be able to accept that, wouldn’t ask the Count to put a price on Herbert’s safety…

And even if Alfred could figure out what he wanted…what next? He couldn’t go back to Königsberg. Where would he go? And once there, what would he do? He’d…he’d have to find an entirely new livelihood!

…Alfred was starting to feel light-headed, which told him it was time to stop that train of thought and do something else very promptly.

So Alfred went downstairs, shoveled some porridge into his mouth, and then stepped outside to see the damage the storm had left.

He was greeted by the blinding brightness of the sun reflecting off the freshly fallen snow, and the sight of several villagers shoveling paths between the houses. Alfred’s heart sank a little.

It had snowed a lot during the night. In some spots it nearly came up to his waist.

He couldn’t go traversing the woods when it was like this.

I’ll have to wait for the sun to go down and for Herbert to wake up, he thought glumly. And hope that the storms don’t return…

“Ah! You!” Alfred flinched as Mrs. Chagal came up to him. “Glad to see you’re awake! Have anything useful to do?”

“Um,” Alfred blinked.

“That’s what I thought. Here.” She thrust a shovel into Alfred’s hands. “Go, help clear the streets.”

She left little room for argument. “Yes ma’am,” Alfred said, and instantly went to work.

It was hard labor, but nothing that Alfred was unfamiliar with. No worse than lugging Abronsius’s crates and books around. And he would have felt guilty to stand by while everyone else was working so hard, too…

He noticed some of the other villagers watching him and whispering when they thought he couldn't see them, but he did his best to ignore it. He was used to Herbert and him getting a bit of an odd welcome in the more insular villages. Alfred focused on the task at hand instead. It was monotonous, but it kept him busy.

But unfortunately, the monotony did little to quell the storm of his thoughts, and they began to drift back to where they’d been in the morning.

He doesn’t need you anymore.

You won’t be useful.

He’s not going to want a bumbling student of archaeology bothering him once he’s back in his castle.

You’re going to be on your own again, like you always are.

“Are you the newest guest?”

Alfred slipped, and went tumbling into a pile of snow.

“Oh no!” He felt a pair of gloved hands grab his arm, and they gently tugged to help pull him out of the snow. “Oh, I’m sorry, did I startle you?”

“It’s fine,” Alfred stammered as he tried to brush the snow off himself. “I’m quite clumsy. Thank you for helping me, Ms…?”

Alfred looked up and blinked at the girl standing in front of him. She could only have been a couple years younger than him. Her large eyes were bright with curiosity, and her lips were pulled into a friendly smile. She was bundled up quite severely in a winter coat and scarf, but even with that and with how the cold had turned her cheeks red, Alfred could tell she was pretty.

“Sarah,” she said with a smile. “Sarah Chagal. My father owns the inn?”

“Oh!” Alfred felt his face heat up as he remembered the glimpse of leg he’d caught the night before. “Yes. Um. I think my room is next to yours…?”

“It is!” Sarah brightened. “I think I heard you in the bathroom last night.”

“Oh.” Alfred’s face grew hotter. “I hope I didn’t keep you up.”

“You didn’t,” Sarah assured him. She opened her mouth as if to say more, but then glanced to the side. Alfred turned, and he saw Chagal squinting at the pair of them.

“Look at you!” Sarah suddenly exclaimed. “Soaked to the bone! Why don’t you come inside and warm up by the fire, and I can make you some tea?”

“Oh, you don’t have to—”

“Nonsense!” Sarah grabbed Alfred’s arm, and he found himself none too gently yanked by her back towards the inn. With mannerisms and strength very reminiscent of her mother, Sarah pulled Alfred into the kitchen and divested him of his coat before shoving him down onto a stool.

“Wait there!” Sarah chirped. Alfred obediently sat there while Sarah scurried off, a bit bewildered.

When Sarah returned, she had likewise shed her winter coat and scarf, and her thick auburn curls hung freely down to the small of her back. She bustled about the kitchen some more as she set a kettle onto the fire…

….and then she dragged a stool in front of Alfred, sat down upon it, and stared at him intently.

“What are you doing here?”

Alfred blinked.

“Um,” he said. “I’m…an academic…? I’m studying the local folklore…”

“Alone?” Sarah squinted. “In the middle of winter?”

Alfred flushed. Why was everyone in this town so nosey? “I…well this was the best time, for my um, personal calendar…”

“And you came here on foot? No horse?”

“I’m scared of horses.”

“But not of traveling through wolf-infested woods in the middle of the night?”

“The storm caught me by surprise. I got lost.”

“What kind of folklore?”

“What?” Why did every woman in this town want to interrogate him??

“What kind of folklore are you researching?” Sarah repeated.

“Um…” was he sweating? Alfred felt like he was sweating. “Local…local legends. Fairy tales. That…that sort of thing. Speaking of,” Alfred cleared his throat as he desperately tried to grab the reins on the conversation. “Are there…are there any castles nearby?”

“Castles?” Sarah arched an eyebrow. “Why?”

“They’re…old.”

“And you’re an academic.”

“Yes.”

“Studying local folklore.”

“Yes.”

Sarah sat back and squinted at Alfred a moment longer.

“There might be a castle nearby,” she said after a moment. “And I’ll tell you about it…”

“You will?” Alfred instantly sat up straighter, his eyes brightening.

“Ah-ah!” Sarah held up a finger and grinned. “If…you tell me some things, too!”

“Oh?” Alfred blinked at Sarah. “What…what do you want to know?”

“Hmmm…” Sarah tilted her head as she thought. “Have you traveled very far? What sort of places have you been?”

“Um,” Alfred blinked again. “Well, I had to travel through Poland to get here…”

“Really?” Sarah’s eyes went wide. “Oh, what was it like?”

“It was…it was nice.” Excluding the feral vampires that had almost killed him. “There’s so much culture there…we — I…visited so many museums and concert halls there…”

Herbert had snuck him into an opera, one time. They’d crept in through the roof, and had watched the entire thing from up in the rafters. Alfred had been deathly afraid he’d fall, but Herbert had held onto him the whole time…

Alfred smiled at the memory, and Sarah gave a wistful sigh.

“Oh, that sounds so exciting,” she said mournfully. “I’ve never even left this village.”

“Oh,” Alfred frowned a little. “I’m sorry. But it seems…nice here?”

Sarah gave him a withering look. “When I’m not locked away in my room, I have to watch my father chase after Magda like a dog in heat, my mother chase after him with a rolling pin, and everyone else blissfully pretending like it’s fine being stuck here. We don’t have to have miserable little lives in this tiny village, but none of them can see that! They’re so scared!”

“Scared?” Alfred’s brow furrowed. “Scared of what?”

Sarah just sighed. “Superstitions. Change. Things that don’t fit into their tiny view of the world.”

Alfred frowned even more as he watched Sarah sit there, pouting as she looked out the window.

He was reminded of Herbert then. He’d worn a similar expression, when he’d revealed how he hadn’t left Transylvania in so long…and Alfred thought about how alive he had become when he’d seen the world he’d missed…

He doesn’t need you anymore, Alfred thought with a small pang in his heart. But maybe…

“Well,” Alfred hazarded. “My…my research here shouldn’t take too long. If you’d like, I could come back and maybe…I could take you with me?”

Sarah’s eyes went wide. “Really?”

They both jumped at the sound of a clattering above them, and Alfred stared at the pot that had fallen from its hanging hook. He heard a faint scuttling sound above him, and he frowned.

“Rats,” Sarah sighed. “They nest up here in the winter. But you’d…you’d do that?”

“Hm? Oh, uh,” Alfred’s ears turned a little red. “I mean…if you’d like to. I don’t…really have anywhere to go when this is done, and it…might be nice, to see a little more of the world. And, um…I don’t like traveling alone.”

Sarah’s eyes were even brighter with excitement. “That…that sounds fantastic! But I…oh…my father would never let me run off like that.”

“Well,” Alfred stammered. “There’s…there’s time to figure that all out. And I promise to not, um, try anything. I’m not, uh—”

Sarah laughed, her eyes sparkling. “Oh, you’re so sweet! Oh, thank you Alfred, that sounds wonderful!”

She threw her arms around Alfred then in a hug, and he froze at the unexpected contact.

“We’ll figure out my father!” she promised as she pulled back, a determined glint to her gaze now. “I refuse to be stuck here any longer! Oh, thank you Alfred, thank you! You know, you’re very nice.”

“Oh,” Alfred could feel his ears heating up. “Thank you.”

“I mean it! You’re much nicer than those other researchers who came by.”

Alfred froze.

“What?”

“Oh,” Sarah waved her hand. “There were three other men who passed by not too long ago. Two elderly professors, and one of their assistants. He was cute, but father locked me away in my room before I could speak to them. But I could hear them through the door, though none of it made much sense. Something about setting up a perimeter?” Sarah’s brow furrowed.

Alfred felt light-headed.

Alibori. Abronsius. Sebastian.

Of course. Of course. He and Herbert had wasted so much time taking the long way…of course they’d beaten them here.

I have to warn Herbert. I have to…

“Speaking of,” Sarah frowned. “I thought I heard you talking to someone last night?”

“Just the wind,” Alfred breathed. “Um, I’m sorry, but I have to…check on my room.”

“Your room?”

“Yes, I left my…”

Alfred didn’t finish as he bolted up the stairs, nearly tripping several times. He was already panting by the time he got to his room.

And when he threw open the door, he saw Herbert on the bed, face buried into a pillow as sobs wracked through his body.

“Herbert?” Panic rose in Alfred’s chest as he closed the door behind him and rushed to the vampire’s side. “Herbert, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“Leave me alone!”

Alfre flinched in surprise as he stared down at the vampire. “What? Herbert, what’s going on?”

Herbert rolled so he was facing away from Alfred, one of the pillows tucked tightly to his chest as he continued to cry.

“Herbert?” Alfred asked, and he reached out to place a gentle hand on the vampire’s shoulder. “Herbert, we don’t have much time…”

“So eager to be rid of me?” the vampire spat as he jerked his arm away from Alfred’s grip.

Alfred blinked, his brow furrowing. “What?”

“You don’t have to pretend,” Herbert choked on another sob. “I saw you and that peasant girl. I heard every word.”

Alfred blinked again, even more confused. “...somehow I don’t think you did.”

“I knew it,” Herbert whimpered. “I didn’t want to believe it but…but I was so afraid you were going to leave me the moment we arrived at Father’s castle. And…and then I hear you already making plans to run off with the next pretty thing you find! Off on the next adventure, leaving me behind!”

Alfred didn’t know where to begin processing all of that as he stared down at Herbert.

“I…Herbert, I didn’t…”

“It’s fine,” Herbert sniffed. “Go. We’re close enough that I can make it to Father’s castle on my own. You can elope with that little Sarah with no interference from me.”

“I wasn’t going to elope with her!”

“That’s what it sounded like!” Herbert snapped, finally turning to face Alfred with his red-rimmed eyes. “You don’t have to pretend! I’m telling you you can go!”

“I…” Alfred’s head was swimming. “Do…do you want me to go?”

“Of course I don’t want you to!” Herbert said, his voice rising in pitch once more. “But I…but it doesn’t matter, does it? What I want? You don’t love me back, so it’s all pointless!”

Alfred felt like the floor had been ripped out from underneath him. All of his thoughts came screeching to a halt as he stared at Herbert.

“...what?”

Herbert sniffed, and stared at Alfred with the largest, most watery eyes Alfred had ever seen. “You already know,” he whimpered miserably as he looked away. “I told you…that night after the wedding. We came back to the inn and we talked and I…”

Alfred felt a little dizzy. He vaguely remembered the night Herbert was talking about. He’d had so much to drink, it was all a little fuzzy, but he recalled Herbert saying why he’d been turned into a vampire…

“What is the point of Heaven, if I can never share it with the person I love?”

“I asked if you’d found them,” Alfred murmured.

Herbert nodded, and he clutched the pillow a little tighter to his chest.

“And I said I had.”

Alfred felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

“Me?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?” Herbert wiped the tears from his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. “But it doesn’t matter! You don’t…you don’t love me, so you…you can run off with Sarah! It’s fine!”

“I’m not…” Alfred really felt dizzy. “Herbert, I…”

“It’s fine,” Herbert snapped again before stubbornly turning on his side to look away from Alfred. “You just have to bear my presence until nightfall, and then you can be rid of me and I can be rid of this horrible place.”

“Herbert.”

“Stupid villagers and their stupid garlic.”

“Herbert.”

“And this whole inn feels cursed. I’m going to crawl out of my skin if I’m here a moment longer.”

“Herbert.”

Alfred placed a hand on the vampire’s arm as he sat down next to him. That seemed to quiet the vampire, but Alfred noticed that fat tears were still rolling down his cheeks.

Alfred’s heart tightened a little.

“What?” Herbert sniffed.

Alfred opened his mouth, but no words came out. He felt like he was a fish floundering to breathe above water. Herbert sniffed again, and cast a wary gaze in Alfred’s direction.

“I…” Alfred licked his lips. “Herbert I…”

And then the door burst open.

Alfred flinched, but before he could react more than that Herbert was instantly in front of him, blocking him from the intruders. Alfred couldn’t see Herbert’s face, but the arch of Herbert’s back and the hissing coming from him told Alfred that Herbert had his fangs on full display.

“Get away from the boy!” a voice shouted, and Alfred’s heart thudded in his chest. Abronsius!

Herbert hissed again, and moved as if to strike, but then he let out a yelp and tumbled off the bed. Alibori had come up to the side, holding a crucifix out. Herbert hissed and spat, eyes wild like an animal’s as he tried to scurry away from the crucifix.

“No,” Alfred breathed, and then he leapt forward, hands wrapping around the crucifix as he tried to pry it from Alibori’s hands. “Stop!”

“Abronsius!” Alibori snarled. “Control him!”

“Alfred, my boy, snap out of it!” Abronsius yelled. But Alfred just shook his head. “Leave him alone – ah!”

Two strong hands gripped Alfred by the shoulders, and he was dragged away from Alibori.

“I knew you’d bring trouble,” Chagal snarled as he kept hold of Alfred, even as he kicked and yelled and tried to struggle free. “Setting your sights on Sarah, bringing this thing into my inn!”

Alfred watched in a panic as Abronsius procured his own crucifix. When Herbert tried to jump and get away from Alibori, Abronsius would crowd in with his crucifix and force Herbert back. Herbert’s eyes were wide and panicked, and his lips were still pulled back from his teeth in a snarl, even as he pressed himself up against the walls of the inn.

And then he grit his teeth and yelled, and Herbert turned and began to claw at the wall, fingers ripping the wooden slats away in his desperate attempt to get away.

“Sebastian!” Alibori yelled. “What are you waiting for?”

Only then did Alfred notice the young man lingering in the back, something clutched to his chest as he watched the scene with wide eyes. He looked pale, and his terrified gaze was fixated on Herbert as he ripped through the walls.

“Now!”

Sebastian flinched, licked his lips, and then lunged forward.

Alfred caught a glimpse of what he realized was a needle, and he let out one last futile yell as Sebastian plunged a syringe into Herbert’s neck. Herbert lashed out and grabbed Sebastian by the throat.

And then Herbert froze.

His mouth went slack. His grip on Sebastian faltered.

And then he collapsed.

“No!” Alfred gasped, tears springing to his eyes as he tried to fight against Chagal’s grip. “No, no no you don’t know what you’re doing! You can’t!”

“Control the boy, Abronsius,” Alibori growled, stepping forward to examine Herbert even as Sebastian scuttled away.

“Alfred,” Abronsius breathed, putting down the crucifix and approaching the struggling boy like he would a skittish horse. “Alfred, it’s alright, my boy.”

“No!” Alfred pleaded. “Professor, please, you can’t let him take him! You can’t! You can’t!”

“His thrall is strong,” Alibori noted, glancing over his shoulder to briefly watch Alfred’s struggle before turning his attention back to Herbert. He delicately removed the syringe from the vampire’s neck, and took Herbert’s chin in his hand. He moved his head this way and that to examine him, before using his thumb to pull down Herbert’s lip to examine his teeth.

“Fangs still extended. Fascinating.”

“Don’t touch him!” Alfred yelled, struggling again against Chagal as he tried to leap forward.

“Abronsius!” Alibori snapped.

“I’m sorry my boy.” There seemed to be a tinge of actual regret in Abronsius’s voice as he shuffled closer. “You’ll be better once this is over.”

Alfred tried to shout again, but then the Professor was covering his mouth with a cloth soaked in something foul and chemical smelling and…

…and then it went dark.

Chapter Text

No no no. He had to keep going. He had to keep going.

Alfred could feel fresh blood running down his cheek. One of the thorns had grazed his face. His jacket lay abandoned some meters back, and there were deep scratches on his arms and hands too, but he didn’t care.

“Herbert!” he cried through the thicket. “Herbert!”

At last he fell through the branches, gasping as he stumbled past the thorns and lurching towards the castle. He banged on the heavy wooden doors, but thick ice crept up from the ground.

“No,” he groaned as he shoved at the doors. “No! Herbert!” He pounded with his fists uselessly against the wood. “Herbert!”

Any icy current ripped Alfred away from the dream, and he sat up with a gasp.

It took him only a moment to recognize that he was in the bathroom at Chagal’s inn. In the bathtub, to be more precise; sopping wet and surrounded by floating garlic blossoms and a few other blooms he couldn’t immediately recognize. There also appeared to be several rosaries hanging into the water.

And Professor Abronsius stood to the side, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up but his front still entirely soaked with water. He cursed, and irritably wrung out the end of his shirt.

“Knew I didn’t properly account for your mass,” Abronsius grumbled. “You displaced far too much water, Alfred. Did you grow since I last saw you?”

“Professor,” Alfred gasped, his eyes wildly searching the room. “Where…where are they?”

“Hm?”

“Sebastian, Alibori, Herbert! Where are they?”

“Ah,” Abronsius’s gaze seemed to actually soften, and he reached out to pat Alfred’s head. “Don’t you worry, my boy. Alibori’s taken the creature away. It can’t harm you anymore.”

Panic shot through Alfred. “No!” he cried, and he instantly tried to clamber out of the tub.

“Alfred!” Abronsius spluttered. “For Heaven’s sake, boy, at least let me get you a towel!”

It was only then that Alfred realized he was entirely naked, and he shrunk back into the tub, his ears turning red. “Where are my clothes?!”

“I had to ensure the mixture had full contact!” Abronsius snapped, gesturing to the assortment of flowers in the tub. “To be certain the creature’s thrall was broken! And I had to check you over anyhow, to assess what damage had been done.”

“Thrall? Damage?” Alfred shook his head. “No, no Professor he didn’t…there was no thrall! He didn’t hurt me.”

“Then what do you call this?”

Abronsius reached out to grab Alfred’s wrist and yank it up to the light, and Alfred’s heart ached a little.

It had healed over, but there were still bright pink scars on Alfred’s skin from where Herbert had fed on him, after the vrykolakas attack.

“That…” Alfred licked his lips. “It was…it was only one time. And I let him feed on me.”

“Bah,” Abronsius released Alfred’s wrist. “And you say you weren’t enthralled? When you offered him your blood?”

“He was unconscious when I did!” Alfred snapped. “He’d just fought off a horde of vrykolakas, and—”

“Eh?” Abronsius narrowed his eyes. “Vrykolakas?”

Alfred nodded his head. “Vampires gone wrong. Not killed properly before they were turned. There was a town full of them and it was my fault we were there, and…and he could have left me behind, but he stayed and nearly died fighting them off, and…and so I let him have my blood so he could heal. And that was it! He never bit me again after that!”

Alfred shifted in the tub, facing Abronsius with urgency and earnesty. “He’s…I had to convince him to not hunt people, yes, but…but he was just used to a different set of morals for a while. He listened to me, Professor. He never fed on any people while traveling with me. And he didn’t need to listen to me. He could have killed me or…or turned me against my will at any point. But he didn’t! I know…I know you thought they were just monsters, Professor. But…but he’s not. He has feelings. Before you came in he was crying because he thought I’d…he thought I was going to leave him.”

Alfred felt another pang in his heart as he remembered how distraught Herbert had looked, and he lowered his head.

“...it’s my fault,” he murmured. “I thought he wouldn’t want me around anymore, once I’d gotten him back home…”

He squared his shoulders then, and he looked back up at the Professor.

“His heart may not beat, Professor, but it works just the same as yours and mine. He might even still have a soul. And we can’t let Alibori dissect him like he’s a thing.”

Abronsius was still squinting at Alfred, and then he grumbled and poked one of the flowers in the tub.

“Perhaps I should have added more mayflower…”

“Professor, I mean it!” Alfred insisted, moving to get out of the tub again.

“Bah — stay seated, boy!” Abronsius waved his hand and grimaced. “And even if I did believe you, there’s no way of knowing whether that thing is even still alive. I’ve never tested that tincture before.”

Abronsius sniffed, but lifted his head a little proudly as he continued. “Somnum Immortuorum, I call it. Made from the essences of several plants known to ward off vampires. Garlic, hawthorn, wild rose, monkshood, and nightshade to name a few.”

“He’s alive,” Alfred said with conviction. Abronsius squinted.

“How can you be certain?”

“I had another dream,” Alfred said. “Like the ones he sent me back in Königsberg. He must still be alive, and he’s trying to call for help!”

“He can still telepathically reach you?!” Abronsius exclaimed. “That settles it, you are not leaving until I can find a priest to properly exorcize you.”

“I’m not —” Alfred spluttered as Abronsius grabbed a bowl and dunked more of the flower-infused water over his head. “I’m not enthralled! Professor,” Alfred pulled his wet curls from his eyes, and then pointed at the door to his bedroom. “Professor, I took notes. He told me things about vampires. They’re in my journal, in my room. Go, have a look! See for yourself whether they look like the ramblings of a jibbering lunatic who was eating bugs the whole time!”

Abronsius squinted at Alfred, and then looked back at the door to his room. Alfred knew he had him, could see in the glint in the Professor’s eyes that he’d at the very least caught his interest, and he felt a small glimmer of hope.

“Fine,” Abronsius grumbled. “But stay here. I want to make sure that vampire’s thrall really has broken from you.”

Alfred sighed, but remained patiently in the bathtub as the Professor went to the adjoining room.

And then he jumped when he heard a loud “PSST!” from the other side of him.

“Eh?”

“Alfred!”

Alfred turned for the source of the voice, but saw nothing. Only the door to Sarah’s room, which – had it been nailed and boarded shut?

“Alfred!” the voice hissed again, and Alfred realized it was coming from the other side of the door.

“Sarah?” Alfred whispered back.

“Are you alright?”

“I…I think I am.”

“Hold on! I’ve got a plan!”

“A plan?” Alfred blinked. “What–”

“Fascinating observations…” Abronsius mumbled, and Alfred scrambled to make it look like he hadn’t just been having a conversation with the door as the Professor hobbled back into the bathroom, nose deep in the journal.

“So they can shapeshift into any creature, eh?” Abronsius asked, his bushy eyebrows high on his forehead. “Not just bats?”

Alfred nodded his head. “I don’t think they need to be nocturnal, either. One time Herbert saw a man kick a cat, and he turned into a swan and chased after him to try and peck out his kneecaps. I had to run after them both.”

“Hmmm…enhanced senses, enhanced strength and speed, as I figured…” Abronsius mumbled to himself as he flipped through the pages of Alfred’s journal. “And you’re sure he didn’t meddle with your head any?”

Alfred nodded once more. “Yes, Professor. He never used his thrall on me. He never even entered my dreams again, until…”

Until now. When he was in danger.

“...and,” Alfred licked his lips. “And the only time he bit me was after the vrykolakas, when I asked him to. You’ve seen it’s the only bite mark on me, Professor.”

“Hmph, true,” Abronsius frowned as he continued to look through the journal. “And these are remarkably well documented notes…not something a man with an enfeebled mind would have been able to notate.”

Alfred almost felt a swell of pride at that, but he pushed it down. “So, you see Professor? He’s not…he’s not a monster.”

Abronsius frowned, and he looked up at Alfred over the notebook.

“...are you sure, boy?” Abronsius asked, his voice strangely soft again. “Just because he didn’t hypnotize you doesn’t mean he was lacking in ulterior motives. He could have just been waiting. Perhaps to bring you as a gift for this father of his. You said he seemed upset at the thought of you leaving. Another deception, perhaps?”

Alfred firmly shook his head. “No. No that wasn’t it at all. Professor, he…”

Alfred’s tongue stuck in his mouth, and his ears turned a little red as he looked down.

“He what? Spit it out, boy.”

“...he loves me.”

There was a deafening silence.

“Oh by all the circles of hell,” Abronsius cursed. “Alfred!”

“What?!” Alfred looked up, his face red but his mouth set in a determined frown. “I believe him!”

“You’re a scientist, Alfred! You can’t let things like this cloud your judgment!”

“My judgment has never been clearer!”

“I know…” Abronsius shuffled awkwardly, and mouth twisted into a grimace. “I know it has not been easy for you, Alfred, with…with not having your parents around, and I know you…you had trouble with getting along with the other students, but…”

“You think…” Alfred leaned back, his eyes wide and incredulous. “You think I’m just doing this because I’m lonely?”

“Well, why else would you seek out the company of a creature like this?”

“Because I love him too!”

Alfred’s eyes widened as soon as the words left his mouth, and he felt his face go even more red. Abronsius looked similarly stunned as he reeled back and stared back at Alfred.

And then Alfred flexed his jaw.

“I mean it,” he said. “Professor I…I love him. And maybe…maybe that is clouding my judgment a little, but out of the two of us, I’m the one who’s spent weeks in the company of a vampire, while you’ve only studied second-hand accounts. You’re a brilliant mind, Professor Abronsius, but in…in this instance, I know more than you.”

Abronsius looked even more stunned, his eyes almost bulging from his head as he spluttered.

“And I’m sorry,” Alfred said. “I’m sorry that I…that I didn’t tell you what I was doing, that I took matters into my own hands with waking him up, but…but even before I knew him, I knew it was wrong to dissect him and take him apart while he was still alive. That’s inhumane, Professor, and even if he were a monster, that doesn’t mean he’d deserve that sort of torture! And he is not a monster. He’s…ridiculous and flamboyant, and I watched him get sick to his stomach because he ate too many kolachkes and I watched him cry when we snuck into a performance of Swan Lake. He feels things more deeply than most humans I’ve met, and I love him, and I am not going to let Alibori butcher him.”

Alfred gripped the sides of the tub as he spoke with all the conviction he had in him.

And desperately wished he wasn’t trying to do this while naked in a bathtub.

But Abronsius’s shock seemed to have abated, at least a little. He was staring critically down at Alfred, his bushy eyebrows furrowed.

And then he sighed.

“...it goes against everything I’ve ever studied,” Abronsius grumbled, one hand coming up to rub at his weathered forehead. “But…you sound far too clear to be a man under hypnosis. You write too well to have been one, too. And, I do believe this is the first time I have ever heard you speak with such conviction.”

Alfred sat up straighter as hope flared in his heart.

Abronsius sighed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. “You have challenged several of my core teachings within the span of five minutes, my boy, and you did it with barely a flinch. You are changed, and I do suspect that vampire, but, after your latest exclamation…I do think I can conclude that it was not hypnosis that changed you.”

Abronsius sighed as he looked down at Alfred. “So, perhaps...in this case, at least, you are right.”

Alfred’s eyes widened. Tears sprung to his eyes. “I…”

“Don’t start crying,” Abronsius waved his hand, clearly uncomfortable with the display of emotion as he looked to the side. “Now, we need to—”

Thunk!

Abronsius’s eyes glazed over and he slumped to the ground.

And behind him stood Sarah, a log of surprisingly sturdy salami raised over her head.

“Sarah?!” Alfred squeaked in alarm. “What did you do?!”

“I told you I had a plan!” Sarah grinned. “Now come on!”

“I’m naked!”

“Then put a towel on!”

She threw a towel at Alfred’s head. “Come on! We have to hurry.”

“I was just…” Alfred spluttered as he tried to rise from the tub while sparing his dignity. Sarah, for her part, turned away, giving Alfred the opportunity to quickly dry off and then wrap the towel around his modesty. “I had just convinced him! You didn’t need to knock him out!”

Sarah turned to look over at Alfred, and she blinked.

“...oh.”

“Hell and damnation,” Abronsius grumbled as he came to.

“Professor!” Alfred gasped, crouching by him. “Are you alright?”

“I will be once you put some pants on, boy.”

Alfred flushed, but got up and awkwardly hopped over to his suitcase as Abronsius sat up and glared at Sarah.

“And you,” he grumbled. “Have a very strong arm, young lady.”

“Thank you,” Sarah grinned.

“I’m sorry, Professor,” Alfred said as he tried to pull on his trousers while keeping another hand on the towel, hopping from one leg to the next. “She was only trying to hel – ah!”

Alfred yelped as he lost his balance and went toppling over. Sarah turned around in alarm, but Abronsius was quick to slap a hand over her eyes and firmly turn her back around.

“I assume you wish to help, Miss Chagal?” Abronsius asked, his voice firm.

Sarah nodded her head. “I do! I heard the whole thing from my room.”

“Everything?” Alfred asked as he stood and quickly grabbed for a shirt.

Sarah nodded again, and she turned to smile apologetically at Alfred.

“I’m sorry I caused such a misunderstanding between you two.”

“Oh,” Alfred flushed, realizing she meant everything. “Oh it’s…it’s not your fault.”

Sarah smirked a little, then. “And I saw him when that other Professor and his assistant were packing him away. He’s very handsome. Congratulations!”

“Uh.”

“Can we get back on track?” Abronsius sighed. “Our one saving grace is that Alibori is awaiting transport. He’ll have moved the body—”

“Herbert,” Alfred firmly corrected.

“...right. Yes. He’ll have moved Herbert to a safer location. This village is too close to his…den, and he won’t want to risk any other vampires sniffing him out.”

“Oh,” Sarah blinked. “Is that why you were asking about the castle?”

“There is a castle?” Alfred gasped.

“There’s always a castle,” Abronsius grumbled. Sarah nodded.

“There is! It’s not too far off. Mama and Papa forbade me from going too close, but sometimes I’d sneak into the woods for a peek.”

“You know where it is?” Alfred’s eyes went wide. Sarah nodded again.

“Of course!”

Alfred licked his lips. “That’s…that’s great! We can…we can get his father then! He’ll be able to help.”

Abronsius grimaced. “That may not work out well.”

Alfred’s heart sank. “What do you mean?”

Abronsius hesitated.

“I stole a look at Alibori's plans. There’s a town near the Prislop Pass that he’s headed for," Abronsius said. "Chosen by him because of the ancient church and extensive catacombs that lay beneath it.”

Alfred’s heart sank.

“And we still have several hours of daylight left,” Abronsius continued. “By the time the vampire count can leave his castle, Alibori will have already taken refuge below the church. Any other vampire won’t be able to enter its grounds.”

“That…” Alfred licked his lips. “That’s going to be agony for Herbert. Surely that will wake him up…?”

Abronsius shrugged. “I don’t know the full effects of Somnum Immortuorum on a vampire. The hope was that it would cause a reaction to force one into a hibernative state.”

“And if the hibernation is deep enough, Herbert won’t be able to wake himself,” Alfred closed his eyes. “He’ll need blood, or another vampire…”

“So we should still get his father, yes?” Sarah asked.

“Waking Herbert won’t do much, not if he’s trapped in the catacombs of a church,” Alfred wrung his hands. “That’s consecrated ground.”

“Well, if it’s just that old Professor and his assistant, they won’t be able to do much either,” Sarah said. “There’s three of us and two of them. We can take them!”

“Bah! Alibori won’t make the same mistake twice. He’ll have hired guards as soon as he arrived in the city,” Abronsius grumbled.

“Well, we have to do something!” Alfred insisted. “We…we should still get Herbert’s father. Either way we won’t be able to catch Alibori before he goes to ground, and we can’t do this alone. And…and he deserves to know where his son is.”

Abronsius sighed, his mustache twitching with displeasure. An emotion Alfred couldn’t quite place passed over his gaze, and then he nodded.

“Right,” he grumbled. “We’ll wait until sundown. Then you, young lady, can show us the way to this castle.”

Sarah instantly perked up and nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

Abronsius sighed again. “And hope this Count doesn’t kill us on sight.”

Even with Abronsius’s grumblings, Alfred still felt a swell of hope.

I’m not alone, he thought as he looked at Abronsius and Sarah, his eyes stinging a little.

Chapter Text

Their plan mostly set, Sarah had returned to her room so as not to arouse the suspicion of her parents, leaving the Professor and Alfred alone once more.

With little to do until sundown, they spent most of their time in a period of awkward silence, with the Professor going through Alfred’s notes while Alfred sat on the bed, twiddling his thumbs and trying not to let his anxiety bubble over.

He had staved off some of the silence by taking yet another bath, this time to wash the scent of garlic blooms from his person. He didn’t want to appear at a vampire’s doorstep smelling like he’d doused himself in every single thing that was poisonous to them.

But that had only taken so long, and Alfred and Abronsius were again left in silence, until eventually it became too much and Alfred broke the quiet with a hesitant “Professor?”

“Hm?” Abronsius glanced up from the notebook. “Yes, boy?”

“I just…” Alfred licked his lips. “...why?”

“Why what?” Abronsius sniffed. “Be specific, boy.”

“Alibori,” Alfred said. “Why did you…why did you work with him? I thought you hated him.”

“Hah! I do.”

“Then why? That’s the one thing I’ve been trying to figure out this whole time.”

Abronsius sighed, mustache twitching as he closed Alfred’s journal and looked irritably off to the side.

“Well,” he said. “I had very few options in front of me, didn’t I? According to what I’d seen, my assistant had been kidnapped by a vampire and put under his thrall.”

Alfred blinked. “But I wasn’t–”

“Yes, yes, I know that now, but what I saw was a vampire grabbing you and absconding with you into the night!” Abronsius snapped. “What sort of conclusion was I supposed to draw?”

Alfred clamped his mouth shut.

“I knew Alibori would go after his specimen anyhow,” Abronsius grumbled. “And I wasn’t about to trust him and that empty-headed assistant of his to get you back safely, so I demanded they let me join in the search. I developed the Somnum Immortuorum for him, and I got to ensure that you were retrieved safely.”

Alfred sat there, stunned into silence as he stared at Abronsius.

“...you…” Oh no, oh no his eyes were stinging. “You did this for me?”

“Of course I did!” Abronsius snapped. “Did you think I would let a vampire carry you off? Or Alibori hurt you in his mad desire to retrieve his specimen? Oh, don’t look at me like that. Alfred, if you cry boy –”

“I’m sorry,” Alfred sniffed, wiping away the stray tears that had threatened to spill from his eyes. “I just…I didn’t think…”

Abronsius’s mouth was twisted into an uncomfortable grimace, but he glanced over at Alfred all the same.

Then he sighed, got up, and hobbled over to Alfred so he might awkwardly pat his shoulder.

“...you’re a good assistant, Alfred,” he said. “I always thought so. Don’t start weeping.”

“Yes, Professor,” Alfred quickly wiped away the new tears that threatened to fall. Abronsius coughed and looked away.

“...the sun’s almost down,” he said. “Let’s move. The Chagal girl said she’d meet us in the forest?”

Alfred nodded as he quickly got off the bed. “Yes, Professor. On the east side of the village. She’ll take us to the castle from there.”

“Good,” the Professor grumbled. “Let’s go, then.”

When Abronsius and Alfred made their way down into the inn, it was oddly quiet. Magda was sweeping in one of the corners, and Chagal was at the bar. He instantly leveled Alfred with a suspicious glare, which made the young man flinch.

“Ah, don’t mind him,” Abronsius waved his hand. “It wasn’t the boy’s fault, I’ve told you. The vampire had him under his thrall.”

Alfred had to bite his tongue to prevent himself from very firmly insisting, again, that there was no thrall.

“All the same, I will feel much better once he’s out of my inn, and away from my daughter,” Chagal sniffed.

“Of course,” Abronsius said with a bow of his head. “We’re taking our leave now. Thank you again for your help in this matter.”

“I’ll have to repair the wall before I can rent that room again,” Chagal muttered as Alfred and Abronsius made their way out.

Alfred shivered and wrapped his coat tighter around him as he and Abronsius stepped into the cold. Alfred became uncomfortably aware of the stares of the villagers as they made their way down the road. Distrustful glares, barely-concealed whispering…

Word must have gotten around, Alfred thought glumly as he turned and looked firmly down at the ground.

“Country bumpkins,” Abronsius grumbled, and he took Alfred’s elbow in a strong grip. “Ignore them, boy. Come, we shouldn’t tarry.”

Alfred firmly nodded as he walked with Abronsius to the edge of the village.

“Did she say where we were to meet?” Abronsius asked, his brow furrowing as he looked at the thicket of forest.

“Just that it was the east side, outside of town,” Alfred repeated.

“Hmph, not very precise.”

“Are you lost, gentlemen?”

Alfred and Abronsius both flinched as a group of four warmly dressed men approached them.

“Eh?” Abronsius squinted at the men. “No, no, we’re not. You can be on your way.”

“Ah, but it’s almost dark! You shouldn’t be out in the cold like this.”

Alfred blinked as the men continued to approach. He noted their fine wool coats, the shiny buttons on their jackets, the well-treated boots…

“Professor,” Alfred whispered. “Professor, I don’t think they’re from the village.”

“Ah, we’re not!” the man at the lead said with a friendly smile. “Professor Alibori hired us, actually!”

Alfred’s blood ran cold, and Abronsius hissed.

And out of the corner of his eye, Alfred thought he saw a flash of auburn curls disappear into the forest.

“Bah! I knew it,” Abronsius spat. “Finally decided to get rid of me, has he? What, are you to leave us in some icy ditch somewhere, is that it?”

“Professor,” Alfred hissed.

“Oh, nothing so grim,” the lead man (hired thug seemed to gruff a word for these men, but it was the only thing Alfred could think of) said with a smile. “He just doesn’t want you following him. Or running off to Königsberg with your findings before he can. We’re just to make sure you sit nice and cozy here for the next week or so.”

Abronsius was shaking with rage. “You can’t do this! I am a man of science!”

“That’s beyond my pay-grade, I fear,” the man said. “Now, are you going to make me and my men rough-house you a little, or will you come willingly?”

Alfred could hear Abronsius’s teeth grinding, but the Professor seemed to know that their odds in winning a fight against four athletic men were slim to none. So with an aggravated huff, the Professor stomped after the mercenaries, with Alfred following meekly behind.

Now what? Alfred thought as they were led to a remote cabin. By the time they’ll let us go, it’ll be too late…Herbert will already be in Königsberg…or worse.

No, no Alfred couldn’t think like that. They had to…they had to…

“What are we going to do?” Alfred hissed to Abronsius.

“I’m not sure,” Abronsius grumbled. “We’ll need to see what our assets are.”

“Sarah’s still out there,” Alfred said, recalling the flash of auburn hair he’d seen. “Maybe she…”

“She’ll what? Bash them over the head with some type of cured meat?” Abronsius scoffed. “Or face the vampire Count alone? Just because your vampire was a kitten doesn’t mean his father will be, boy.”

“I know,” Alfred chewed on his lip. He had, admittedly, been feeling no small amount of anxiety about facing Herbert’s father, especially considering the circumstances.

Hello, I tried to help your son return home after a scientist tried to dissect him, but it all went horribly wrong and that scientist has him again. Also I’m in love with him.

Yes, that would go over well.

By Herbert’s accounts, his father was a “gloomy, brooding, pessimistic” man with “a flair for over-dramatics and long monologues.” But Herbert had also insisted that his father “really was kind” and that his cold exterior hid “a sweet and squishy marshmallow center.”

…but as much as he loved him — and Alfred was still reeling at how easy it was for him to admit that to himself now — Alfred knew that Herbert’s feelings somewhat…skewed his perception of things.

Alfred was fully prepared for the Count von Krolock to be far more terrifying than Herbert let on.

“Still,” Alfred murmured to the Professor. “Maybe she’ll—”

“Here we are!” the leader cheerfully declared, opening the doors to the cabin while Alfred and Abronsius were pushed in by the others.

“Are we to be shackled to the wall like prisoners?” Abronsius spat.

“Oh, nonsense,” the leader said. “You’ll only be restrained if you decide to be difficult. But if we tie you up, that means we’ll have to then untie and tie you back up for meals and…other necessities.”

“Which is more work for us,” one of the other mercenaries grumbled.

“And this is otherwise a pleasantly easy job for us, so we’d rather not turn it into such a dramatic affair.”

“Aye,” another mercenary snorted. “Watch one old fool and his bumbling assistant. Easiest job we’ve had in years.”

“Watch who you call a fool!” Abronsius blustered. “I was already published when you were still in diapers, boy.”

“Ah, was it on Saint Nicholas? Or the Tooth Fairy?” the same mercenary snorted.

“Saint Nicholas was a real person, idiot,” his comrade snorted.

“You know what I meant!” the first one scoffed. “Alibori told us about this one. Reports about vampires and the like. Why does he consider him a threat when his theories are about that nonsense?”

Abronsius looked like he was at the boiling point. Alfred hesitantly reached out to grab his arm. “Professor,” he whispered. “Don’t do anything foolish. We need to keep our wits about us.”

“Don’t lecture me,” Abronsius grumbled.

“Oh, don’t bully them,” the lead mercenary sighed. “Now, let us get Doctor Frankenstein and his assistant to their—”

~~~

“...I may have reacted rashly.”

“You bit him, Professor.”

“The comparison didn’t make sense!” Abronsius hissed. “My research has nothing to do with the lengths that Victor Frankenstein—”

“I think you’re missing the point, Professor,” Alfred hissed. “Which is that escape is going to be much harder now.”

They were tied back-to-back, legs also bound to the chairs they had been placed in. The one mercenary was nursing his bandaged hand, his sharp eyes no longer quite so jovial as he looked at Abronsius and Alfred.

“You know, Professor,” he said. “Alibori only said that we weren’t to kill you. He said nothing about leaving you in one piece.”

Alfred’s eyes went to the knives belted to the mercenary’s person. He gulped.

“Next time you try to misbehave, I’ll take any flesh you’ve removed from me off you in turn. Or perhaps your little assistant, seeing as you’ve got so little left.”

Abronsius grit his teeth, and Alfred went a little cold.

“I’m going to get some fresh air,” one of the lower-ranking mercenaries grumbled. “Now that the entertainment’s over.”

“Don’t be gone long,” the leader snapped.

“Or what? Afraid the old man will nibble your toes off next?” his subordinate snorted as he stepped outside. The leader growled, but said nothing else.

Alfred sighed, and he leaned his head back against the Professor’s. “Now what?” he whispered.

“If you can reach my pocket,” Abronsius murmured. “I have a small survival knife…”

Alfred’s eyes widened, and he tried to feel the Professor’s jacket. It was difficult, going in blind and backwards as he was…

“Careful. No, no to the left, Alfred. No, your other left.”

“What are you two muttering about now?” the leader snapped.

Alfred and Abronsius froze, but before either one could answer—

A blood-curdling scream pierced through the air. The three remaining mercenaries stiffened.

And then there was a thump on the roof, and the sound of something rolling off and hitting the snow.

“What was that?” one mercenary hissed.

“I don’t know,” the leader’s eyes were wide. “Conrad?” he called. “Conrad!”

The other two pulled their pistols from their jackets, and after exchanging a wordless glance with their leader, they headed outside, the leader following.

“Alfred,” Abronsius hissed once they were gone. “The knife!”

“Right,” Alfred gulped, and began to quickly feel for Abronsius’s pocket again.

“Ah!” Alfred felt a swell of triumph when his fingers closed around the hilt. “I found—”

A gunshot was followed by another scream pierced through the air, and Alfred flinched. The knife went clattering to the floor.

“...oh,” he said, his voice very quiet. Abronsius groaned.

“Can you reach it?”

“...no.”

“Hell and damnation, boy.”

“I can get it!”

“Ah!”

Abronsius and Alfred both flinched as Sarah peaked her head in the door. She smiled brightly at the two of them, seemingly oblivious to the sounds of further gunshots coming from outside, and quickly ran over to pick Abronsius’s knife off the ground.

“Sarah!” Alfred gasped. “What are you…”

“Helping, of course!” Sarah said cheerily as she began to cut through their bindings. “I saw those men take you, so I got help!”

“What…” Alfred froze as another scream echoed through the air. “...what kind of help?”

Sarah just smiled up at Alfred and Abronsius, and cut through the last of the rope. “There! They didn’t hurt you, did they? The Count said he smelled blood.”

“That was one of the mercenaries. The Professor bit – wait, the Count?!”

“Come!” Sarah grabbed Alfred’s hand, and dragged him out of the house while the Professor cursed and ran after them.

The sight outside made Alfred’s blood run cold, and Sarah’s eyes went wide.

There were three lumps on the ground, and the silver moonlight that filtered through the trees illuminated the crimson stain upon the snow.

And at the center of it all stood a figure. Tall, taller even than Herbert, cloaked all in black with one pale hand outstretched and tightly gripping the remaining mercenary’s throat. He gasped and thrashed in the hold, but the figure only tightened his grip.

Alfred flinched and shut his eyes just as he heard a snap!

And then a soft thump.

Alfred slowly opened his eyes, and he stared in mute horror at the fourth and final lump in the snow.

He was shivering, but his body went entirely still as the shadowy figure slowly turned, and Count von Krolock let his icy blue gaze rest directly on Alfred.

“I’m told you know where my son is.”

Chapter Text

One thing that the Count von Krolock and his son had in common, Alfred quickly realized, was a severe lack of patience.

The Professor and Alfred had barely managed to stammer out where Alibori had taken Herbert before the Count had grabbed them and Sarah and flown with them through the forest, the wind and snow whipping at their faces.

And now they were here, on a hill overlooking the church where Herbert was being kept.

It was old, constructed in the Gothic fashion. Even in the moonlight Alfred could see the beautiful designs of the stained glass windows. It might have been as old as 12th Century.

Any other time, Alfred would have loved to study the intricacies of its architecture more. But having a glowering vampire hovering above him was proving to be the more pressing issue.

“I still think we should wait,” Abronsius grumbled. “Catch Alibori in transit.”

“You said he wishes to vivisect my son,” Krolock growled.

“Well, yes, but he won’t conduct that study until—”

“I am not leaving my son in that man’s company.”

“Well, you can’t do much of anything, can you?!” Abronsius snapped, and Alfred was a little amazed at the Professor’s bravery in the face of this terrifying vampire. “It’s consecrated ground! And it is crawling with Alibori’s mercenaries. Can you hypnotize them from here?”

Krolock was glaring at the church.

“No,” he gritted out from between clenched teeth. “I can sense the heartbeats within, but my power will not extend into consecrated ground. I cannot even wake my son.”

“Bah!” Abronsius harrumphed. “Then it’ll be all up to us, eh? You expect the three of us to take on those four mercenaries—”

“I sense four more within, along with Alibori and his assistant”

“Eight then! Wonderful! Send us three to go fight eight mercenaries while you sit out here. Brilliant plan.”

“Maybe you could draw them out?” Sarah suggested, eyes wide. “Cause a ruckus, send the mercenaries outside while we sneak in the back to get Herbert?”

“Alibori will know he’s here for Herbert,” Alfred said, his voice wavering with worry. “He might try and leverage Herbert to get us to stand down.”

“He’s right,” Krolock growled. “I will not make the mistake of taking this Alibori for a fool. I will not risk him harming Herbert.”

“I can take care of Alibori,” Abronsius sniffed. “You just take care of those mercenaries, Count von Krolock. And then Miss Chagal and Alfred can go rescue your son.”

Krolock turned his icy gaze to Sarah and Alfred, and Alfred did his best to not waver under the intensity of his stare.

“...can I trust you?” he asked. “Will you retrieve my son safely?”

Alfred’s mouth was dry, but he pursed his lips and nodded his head.

“Yes, Your Excellency,” he said with all the courage he could muster. “I won’t let any harm come to him.”

The Count von Krolock stared Alfred down for a moment. He feared his knees would buckle, he felt himself start to sweat, but he held his ground all the same.

This was for Herbert. He could do this.

Something shifted in the Count’s gaze, and he nodded his head.

“Good,” he said. “...bring him to me. Please.”

The “please” almost knocked Alfred off his feet. But he nodded.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Abronsius sighed.

“Well, let’s get to it then,” he then reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Thankfully, I also copied this map Alibori had of the church’s catacombs.”

“You’ve had this the whole time?!” Alfred exclaimed.

“It wasn’t relevant until now. Now hush, I think it’s best for you and Miss Chagal to enter here…”

~~

“How do we know when it’s safe to go in?” Alfred whispered.

The Church was surrounded by an old but well-maintained cemetery. The ground here was also consecrated, and also patrolled by Alibori’s mercenaries. Alfred and Sarah were hidden some ways away, peeking around a tree as they watched the nearest guard.

“The Count said he’d give us a signal,” Sarah whispered back.

“Great!” Alfred said. “...what’s the signal?”

A lone, mournful howl pierced the night air. The patrolling guard stopped, and raised his head to look nervously at the surrounding mountains.

And then it was followed by another howl, and another. A chorus echoing through the night air.

And then distant snarling, followed by a panicked cry.

“I NEED REINFORCEMENTS AT THE FRONT, NOW!”

The patrolling guard pulled his pistol out of its holster and ran towards the main building of the Church, and Alfred and Sarah shared an uneasy glance.

“That’s our cue, I suppose.”

Alfred distantly thought he saw the shape of the Professor hobbling towards the back entrance of the church, but he turned away to duck with Sarah into the nearby mausoleum.

Alfred squinted against the darkness, but Sarah was quick to light a torch.

“I see the entrance!” she whispered. “This way!”

Alfred stared uneasily at the entrance to the lower catacombs. The map the Professor had copied showcased a complex tunnel system underneath the church. It had once reached under the town as well, but most of the entrances had been blocked off and were no longer accessible.

Crucifixes lined the walls; iron and rusted, but still clear in their iconography. And Latin hymns were etched into the stone, the firelight casting flickering shadows over the scripture.

“They must have known about the vampires in these mountains,” Alfred murmured. “And wanted to be prepared…to have an escape ready…”

He thought about the village with the vrykolakas.

They could have used something like this.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. He breathed a sigh of relief as Sarah pushed open a wooden door. This section of the catacombs seemed much more well-maintained, with mortared stone lining the floors instead of the naked earth. Lit torches lined these walls too, so Sarah discarded the one she had used to navigate the darker tunnels.

“I think we’re under the church now,” Alfred whispered. They could hear the distant barking of wolves. And from up above, Alfred thought he could hear…

“Alibori! There you are, you rat! Tried to have me done in, did you?”

“Abronsius, what on Earth are you—”

There was a clattering and a yelp, and Alfred winced.

“I think Abronsius is more of a danger to Alibori than the wolves,” he murmured.

“He’s great,” Sarah said, a wide grin on her face and her eyes bright. “This is so exciting.”

“Focus, Sarah,” Alfred said. “We need to find…”

“There! I remember him from the inn!”

Alfred turned, and then gasped and pulled Sarah behind a corner.

“Sebastian!” Alfred hissed. Alibori’s assistant indeed stood there, in front of a conspicuously closed door. His face was very pale, and there was a crucifix clenched in his hands as his eyes darted from side to side.

“That has to be where he’s keeping Herbert!” Alfred hissed.

“I think there’s a way for you to sneak around,” Sarah said, peeking around the corner.

“Not without him seeing me!” Alfred said.

“Leave that to me!”

Without much else explanation, Sarah dashed around the corner, eyes wide. Sebastian flinched and held out the crucifix, but then Sarah gasped and clung to his arm.

“Oh, oh please, you have to help!” she sobbed. “There’s wolves! They’ve gone mad! I don’t know what’s happened, but, oh, it’s terrible!”

She began to sob then, while a bemused Sebastian stared down at her. She clung to his shirt, and…Alfred thought he saw real tears streaming from her eyes.

She’s good, he thought to himself. No, focus Alfred!

So Alfred quietly snuck around the other corner of the wall, glancing around to see Sebastian awkwardly patting Sarah’s back while she clung to him and continued to cry. Carefully, carefully, Alfred tried to tip-toe past Sebastian for the door…

…but then he slipped.

Not enough to fall. He righted himself almost instantly. But the scuffle of his shoes on the stone had made Sebastian tense and whirl around, and the edge of his crucifix smacked into Alfred’s mouth.

“Ow!” Alfred stumbled back and put his hand to his lip. Was he bleeding?

“Oh,” Sebastian blinked. “Oh, sorry! I thought you were a — wait.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

“Aren’t you Abronsius’s assistant? What are you doing here?”

“I…” Alfred blinked at Sebastian, his mind whirling as he tried to think.

“I just…” he stammered. “I…I wanted to see it! The…the thing that bewitched me.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I…I spent weeks with it under its spell! I just…I need to see it while my mind is right. To…to put myself at ease. So I know it won’t…won’t ensnare me again.”

Sebastian was still watching Alfred with narrowed eyes.

“...had it bewitched you when I found you?” he asked. “When you awoke it?”

Alfred was quick to nod his head. “Yes! It…it had reached out to my dreams. I…I’ve always been quite weak,” he said, casting his eyes down. “Stupid, boring Alfred…I must have been easy prey for him…”

Sebastian was still watching Alfred with a narrow, distrustful gaze.

But after a moment he sighed, and he awkwardly patted Alfred on the shoulder.

“It’s alright,” he said. “Alibori says the hypnosis of these things can be quite potent. Here, I’m…not supposed to let anyone in, but I suppose…”

Alfred’s heart thumped in his chest as Sebastian turned to open the door.

“Oh, actually,” Sebastian turned around and offered Alfred a regretful smile. “First, I should make sure…ah…”

He awkwardly patted Alfred’s arm again.

“Turn out your pockets?” he asked. “Just to be safe. Last time you were in a room with this thing you did have a flask of blood to wake it.”

“Of course,” Alfred croaked.

He didn’t have a flask of blood with him.

But he did have a small knife, with which he had planned to open a vein to wake Herbert.

Sebastian took the knife when Alfred pulled it out, and offered him another regretful smile. “Just to be safe. I’ll give it back when you’re done. You understand?”

“Of course,” Alfred said again, feeling his heart sink.

“There you go,” Sebastian opened the door. “Go right ahead.”

The room was empty, save for a flickering torch and a table, upon which sat a wooden coffin. Alfred’s breath caught in his throat.

Now what?

“Can…” Alfred licked his lip, felt the tang of blood from where Sebastian had hit him, and his heart pounded as an idea came to mind.

Oh, Herbert, if this works you’re going to be over the moon.

“Can you…can I have a moment…?”

“Oh,” Sebastian blinked. “Um…”

Sarah chose that moment to start wailing again, and Sebastian looked back at her in alarm.

“I…fine! But just a moment. I really shouldn’t be doing this…”

Sebastian murmured some “Really, it’s going to be okay,”s to Sarah, but they faded to Alfred’s ears as he approached the coffin.

It wasn’t nailed shut this time. It opened easily, though not as easily as it had in the dream.

That dream felt like decades ago, Alfred mused as he removed the lid to reveal Herbert’s face. Not painted to perfection, not illuminated softly by moonlight with a halo of snow around him…

…but he was wearing the shirt he’d found in the woodworker’s cabin, and Alfred’s heart ached when he saw that Herbert’s hair was still tied back with his bow-tie.

“I’m sorry I mucked things up,” he murmured, reaching out to brush away a stray hair from Herbert’s face. “But I’ll try and make it right…”

And he leaned down, and he pressed his bloodied lips against Herbert’s.

“Uh, Alfred? I think the wolves are getting louder, we might want to — oh not again!”

But Alfred barely registered Sebastian’s cry of dismay, because Herbert’s lips moved against his own. A hand shot up from the coffin to slide into the curls on Alfred’s head.

Distantly, Alfred heard a thunk and the sound of a body sliding to the floor, but he didn’t pay that any mind either.

Alfred pulled away after a moment, and was greeted to the sight of Herbert’s bright blue eyes shining up at him.

“Herbert,” he breathed.

“Alfred,” Herbert’s eyes watered even as he smiled. “You came for me.”

“Of course I did,” Alfred said. “I couldn’t let Alibori take you, and…and I never wanted to leave you in the first place. I was just scared and…”

“Oh…” Herbert’s eyes went to Alfred’s bloodied lip, and he reached out to press a finger to the wound. “Did I do that?”

“No,” Alfred shook his head, and he took Herbert’s wrist in hand. “No, no it was someone else. Um…”

Alfred leaned back and looked over his shoulder. He saw Sebastian crumpled on the ground, and Sarah holding an unlit torch. She had a small smile on her face as she watched Alfred and Herbert.

“You’re both very sweet,” she said. Alfred’s face turned a little red.

“Oh!” Herbert blinked at Sarah as he sat up from the coffin. “It’s you…! The…the girl from the inn. Salmon.”

“Sarah.”

“Salmon,” Herbert leaned forward out of the coffin, and Alfred blinked in alarm when he saw the unfocused quality to Herbert’s gaze. “You…you be nice to Alfred, when you elope! You take care of him!”

“Uh,” Alfred blinked. “We’re not…”

“Be nice to him!” Herbert insisted. He tried to climb out of the coffin, but he stumbled and went tumbling to the floor. Alfred flailed a little as Herbert winced and started smoking where he made contact with the ground.

“It’s like a sauna in here.”

“Herbert!”

Alfred tried to pull the vampire up onto his feet, and after some twisting and maneuvering, managed to get the vampire onto his back, Herbert’s long legs wrapped around Alfred’s waist and his face in the crook of Alfred’s neck.

“You smell so nice,” Herbert murmured.

“Is he normally like this?” Sarah blinked.

“I think it’s the church,” Alfred said, trying to ignore how Herbert was nuzzling his jaw. “Even when he’s not touching the ground, the whole place is still holy. It’s doing something to him.”

“We found a miner once who’d survived a cave-in,” Sarah said as she began to lead Alfred out down the corridor. “They’d accidentally released some sort of gas. He’s acting a bit like that, right now.”

Herbert just hummed, and Alfred felt a fluttering in his stomach as the vampire began to pepper soft kisses along his neck.

“Can we hurry?” Alfred asked, his voice a little strangled.

“Mmhm!” Sarah chirped. “This way!”

The journey back through the catacombs felt all the longer for the weight of Herbert in Alfred’s arms, and for the way he switched between kissing at his neck and nibbling at his ear. At some point, Herbert became (thankfully) distracted by Alfred’s hair, and nuzzled into the curls instead.

“He’s very affectionate,” Sarah noted with a grin and a giggle.

“He is,” Alfred said, and his voice was equal parts fond and strangled. “Are we almost there?”

They were. Sarah opened the door to the mausoleum, and Alfred stumbled out with a sense of relief. The cemetery was still consecrated, but with a few jogs they were outside the bounds of the Church and he finally collapsed onto the ground with a wheeze. His arms were burning.

“There!” Sarah pointed. “It looks like the Count’s dealt with most of the mercenaries!”

Alfred looked up, and saw with a lurch in his stomach that the snow outside the Church was stained crimson, and that the bodies of Alibori’s mercenaries were scattered about. Krolock stood at the center of it all, a pack of dark growling wolves surrounding him, their eyes reflecting the moonlight like white pinpricks in the dark.

“Alibori!” Krolock thundered.

“Tată!” Herbert gasped. Alfred spluttered and adjusted his hold as Herbert, still attempting to piggy-back ride a grounded Alfred, lurched to the side to wave at his father. “Tată!”

He must still be feeling some effects from the consecrated ground, Alfred thought, but that faded when the Count’s head snapped to look over at Alfred and Herbert, and Alfred saw the clear relief melt the Count’s icy gaze.

And then there was a spluttering, a scrambling, and Krolock looked back at the front door of the Church as a tangle of Alibori and Abronsius came to the door. Though Alibori was nearly a head taller, Abronsius clearly had the upper hand in their scuffle. Alibori’s normally impeccable hair was in disarray, his jacket torn, and though he was too far away to really tell, it looked like he had blood on his face.

The Professor must have bit him, too, Alfred thought with some resignation.

“Abronsius, have you gone mad?!” Alibori hissed, his hands planted firmly on the frame of the doorway as he tried to steady himself.

“If I am,” Abronsius spat. “Then it’s because of all the years spent dealing with you!”

And with a shove, Abronsius sent Alibori sprawling out into the snow.

Right at Krolock’s feet.

The dawning horror that appeared on Alibori’s face as he looked up into the face of Count von Krolock was something to see. He shivered, and he tried to push himself away, but Krolock was faster. In a flash he had Alibori’s neck in his grip, and he raised the man up to be at eye level with him.

As tall as Alibori was, his feet still dangled in the air as Krolock raised him.

“So,” Krolock said coolly. “I understand you were the one who took my son from me.”

The color drained from Alibori’s face.

“He wanted to vivisect him, too!” Abronsius chirped. “Can’t forget that!”

“Oh no,” Krolock drawled. “I have not.”

Alibori licked his lips. “Please,” he croaked. “Please, I—”

“Oh?” Krolock squeezed Alibori’s neck in his hand. “Do that again.”

“Please.”

“Again.”

“Please!”

Krolock’s lips pulled into a smirk as he stared at Alibori’s shivering, struggling form.

“No,” he said.

And then he wordlessly tossed Alibori aside, and Krolock’s wolves snapped and snarled as they pounced on him.

When Alibori’s screams finally faded, Abronsius just sniffed.

“Serves him right,” he grumbled.

Alfred couldn’t even find it in him to admonish the Professor for that.

He was feeling light-headed again, though.

“Tată!” Herbert yelled again, but this time evidently recalled that his feet worked. He scrambled out of Alfred’s grip and ran over to his father. Alfred noted with some relief that Herbert’s gait seemed to be steadier, that he seemed to have recovered from the effects of the consecrated ground…

…and in spite of the bloody massacre surrounding them, he found his heart warmed a little by the sight of Herbert leaping into his father’s arms, and the stoic Count instantly wrapping around his son to return the embrace.

“I feared you were dead,” Krolock murmured.

“I’m sorry,” Herbert sniffed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of this.”

“You are safe,” Krolock pulled away, cupping his son’s face in his hands as he examined him. “Are you hurt?”

Herbert shook his head. “A little woozy, that’s all.”

“You should feed,” Krolock said, and he gestured at the scattered mercenaries. “They are still warm. Drink your fill.”

Herbert’s eyes brightened, but before he moved he stopped, and he turned to look at Alfred.

“Is something the matter?” Krolock asked, his brow furrowing.

“I just promised…” Herbert hesitated, and Alfred blinked.

Oh.

His heart warmed a little more.

“It’s fine, Herbert,” he said. “I mean they’re…they’re dead anyways. Might as well…”

Herbert gave Alfred a grateful smile before practically collapsing on top of one of the mercenaries’ bodies. Alfred gulped and looked away, but not before he caught the Count’s piercing gaze directed at him.

Oh no.

“Well done, my boy!” Abronsius offered a thankful distraction as he hobbled over, and he gave Alfred a pat on the shoulder. “I’d say that went off quite smoothly!”

“Yes,” Alfred said.

…later.

He would deal with the fact that Abronsius had quite literally thrown Alibori to the wolves later.

“This has been so much fun!” Sarah said with a grin. “Do you do things like this all the time?”

“Not usually,” Alfred said. The Professor grunted in agreement.

“Less blood, usually,” Abronsius agreed. “Less wolves, too.”

“What the…?”

Abronsius, Sarah, and Alfred turned to see Sebastian standing at the door to the church, one hand clutching his head. He was staring at the bodies strewn in the snow, at Herbert with his mouth latched to the neck of one of the mercenaries, at the wolves and at the bits of…Alibori…strewn about.

He turned pale, and then his eyes rolled back into his head as he collapsed back onto the ground.

“Oh,” Sarah blinked.

“Oh, him!” Herbert sat up, glaring a little at Sebastian’s unconscious form as he wiped the blood from his mouth. “That horrible boy. Alfred, do you want us to kill him for you?”

“Uh,” Alfred became very aware of the Count’s piercing gaze on him again. “That’s…that’s alright, Herbert. I don’t think he’s really worth it.”

“Hm. If you’re sure, darling!” Herbert said before resuming his meal. Alfred sighed.

“...now what?” he asked, turning to look at the Professor. Abronsius hmphed.

“Well, there’s going to be an open teaching position at the University now, hah!”

“Professor,” Alfred said weakly.

“Hm. Suppose it is a bit tasteless. I should wait at least a week I suppose, yes?”

“Professor.”

“You three have returned my son to me,” Krolock spoke, his voice booming over the night air and causing Alfred to flinch. “I owe all three of you an indescribable debt. I do not know what you plan for the future, but I insist that you at least spend the remainder of the evening at my castle, where we will discuss your rewards.”

“Oh,” Alfred blinked, and he saw Herbert turn his wide-eyed, hopeful gaze to him. “Um…”

“I insist.”

“...yes, Your Excellency.”

Chapter Text

“Did you get any sleep last night, Alfred?”

Alfred blearily blinked over at Sarah. He was on a snowy balcony overlooking the vast forest surrounding Castle von Krolock. She had a red shawl wrapped around herself, and her eyes were bright as she looked at the mountains.

Her cheeks and nose were already a little pink from the cold, but she still looked undeniably excited as she looked at the vast expanse of terrain before her.

But most of all, she looked well-rested, which Alfred did not feel at all.

They had arrived at the castle the night before. A hunchback had greeted them at the door, and Herbert had cried and thrown his arms about him. Alfred couldn’t quite understand Koukol’s odd, guttural way of speaking, but Herbert and Krolock seemed to have no trouble making out his meaning. And even without understanding precisely what the hunchback said, Alfred was still able to see the palpable relief on Koukol’s face when he looked at Herbert.

It was heartwarming, but then Herbert had turned to him with that wide-eyed, vulnerable gaze and had opened his mouth as if to speak only to have his father immediately cut in.

“I am sure our guests are quite tired,” Count von Krolock had said, his voice booming through the cavernous halls of his castle. “Let them rest for now, Herbert. You can properly thank them tomorrow.”

Herbert closed his mouth and pouted a little, but nodded his head all the same.

“I will save my thanks for tomorrow as well,” Krolock said, and then he had leveled his cold blue gaze directly onto Alfred. “I will speak with you then. But for now…have a good rest.”

So no, Alfred had not slept that night, because he couldn’t stop thinking about that look and about what it meant.

“Sarah…” Alfred licked his lips. “You’ve spoken to the Count, yes?”

“Mmm, a little,” Sarah said.

“...what was he like?”

Sarah tilted her head.

“Brusque,” she said. “At first, at least. I thought he looked quite tired. A bit like you do now, really.”

She smiled teasingly at Alfred, but then her expression softened.

“But mostly he just looked worried. Especially when I told him we knew where Herbert was. He cares for him a great deal.”

Alfred looked down.

“Alfred?” Sarah asked quietly. “Are you…nervous?”

Alfred closed his eyes.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” He asked quietly.

“Not like you?!” Sarah exclaimed. “You saved his son!”

“And got him kidnapped again, and…and…and Herbert’s a viscount! I’m just…me.”

“Herbert and his father are also both dead, Alfred. I don’t see why there’s any point in worrying about titles when you don’t have a pulse.”

“I just…”

Sarah sighed, and she reached out to take Alfred’s trembling hands in hers.

“You both love Herbert,” she said. “And I think that’s the only thing that matters.”

Alfred sucked in a deep breath as he looked down at their hands.

She’s right. She’s right. You’re working yourself into a fever over nothing, Alfred.

He let out a shaky exhale, and then he shifted his hands so he could hold Sarah’s in turn, and gave them a gentle squeeze.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “And not just for this...you’ve done quite a lot too, you know, for people you barely know…”

Sarah’s smile brightened. “Well, I couldn’t just sit around and do nothing. I’ve been doing that my whole life! Besides, it gave me an excuse to get out of the house,” she winked. In spite of his nerves, Alfred laughed a little.

“Are you going to go back?” he asked her. “To your father’s inn, I mean.”

Sarah’s smile faded a little, and she looked off towards the mountains. She let Alfred’s hands fall from her grip, and she sighed as she leaned against the snowy railing.

“...I don’t want to worry Mama,” she said. “Or Papa, really. But I know they’ll just lock me back up again…”

She looked back over at Alfred. “It’s funny, you know…all of the garlic in the inn…the way they always told me to stay away from this part of the forest…obviously they knew. They knew what was here. I think in a way they were trying to protect me from this.”

“From vampires?” Alfred tilted his head.

“Maybe even the Count, specifically,” Sarah said. “Father’s got odd ideas about men…I think he thinks they’re all as depraved as he is.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “But the Count was much more polite to me than Papa has ever been to Magda, or Mama. He gave me this shawl, you know.”

“Maybe the Count can…help, somehow?” Alfred offered. “I’m sure he’ll want to give you something too, for your part in rescuing Herbert.”

Sarah hummed in thought, her head tilted. “I don’t know…I don’t want him to terrorize Mama and Papa…even though Papa probably could use a good terrorizing. And I don’t want him to just hypnotize them into letting me go, either.”

“Is that what you want?” Alfred asked. “To…leave?”

“Maybe not forever,” Sarah admitted. “But I want to see things, Alfred. There’s so much world out there and I’ve only seen a small part of it. Papa says I’m not allowed to leave until I’m grown, but how can I grow if I’m stuck someplace that’s too small?”

Alfred blinked at Sarah. “...that was remarkably profound.”

“Thank you,” she said a bit smugly.

“You’d be a good philosophy student,” he said.

“Oh, you mean study at a university?” Sarah tilted her head again. “Maybe. I’d certainly learn more there than I would stuck at home. But I don’t know if I’d just want to sit around reading what other people have to say about the world. I’d like to see it for myself. Like what you were doing, or, well, what you were claiming to do.”

Alfred chuckled. “Archeology requires a good deal of reading, too.”

“As long as I get to go see it for myself, too,” Sarah said wistfully.

“Well,” Alfred said. “There’s plenty of field research that goes into archeology. Going to dig sites…unearthing the cultures that came before us…there aren’t many women in the field right now, but something tells me you wouldn’t let that stop you, if you put your mind to it. And I think you’ve got the passion to do anything you set your mind to.”

“You think so?” Sarah asked. A wide smile was spread across her lips, one that Alfred couldn’t help but return.

“I do,” he said. “...maybe just…hold back on hitting people over the head every time you have a problem with them. You’ll be expelled that way.”

Sarah laughed, and then surprised Alfred by yanking him towards her into a warm hug.

“Thank you,” she murmured into his shoulder.

“For what?” Alfred asked, his face growing a little warm. Sarah pulled away, and she smiled up at him.

“For listening,” she said. “...and for your earlier offer, though I don’t think it stands anymore.”

“Ah,” Alfred’s face grew a little more red. “W-well, I…”

Sarah laughed, and she gave him a nudge. “I’m teasing you, silly.”

“I know.”

“Alfred.”

Alfred jumped at the unmistakable sound of the Count’s booming voice, and he turned like a child caught sneaking out of class.

“I would speak with you,” Count von Krolock said before turning and walking wordlessly down the hall.

Alfred gulped, and Sarah put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You’ll be fine,” she whispered to him.

And then she pushed him after the Count.

~~~

“I have spoken with Herbert already.”

Count von Krolock led Alfred into a library that, ordinarily, would have made Alfred want to jump for joy. But all he could focus on was the terrifying swish of Krolock’s cape as he walked over to a set of armchairs. Koukol was there, setting some tea at the side table, and Krolock gracefully descended to take a seat.

“He spun quite a tale of your adventures,” Krolock continued, gesturing for Alfred to sit. “But I would hear from you what occurred, as well.”

“O-of course,” Alfred croaked. He glanced over at the tea cup Koukol offered him, and he accepted it with a small, thankful nod of his head.

“So, please,” Krolock gestured. “Start from the beginning.”

“Well…”

In spite of his nerves, this was something Alfred felt he could do with some certainty. Describing his work process was something he had to do for several papers, so in spite of a bit of stuttering at the start, Alfred began to quite succinctly recall their journey to Krolock. The dreams — though he left out the more…romantic details — and waking Herbert, and then the beginning of their journey to return Herbert home.

Krolock’s eyes had sharpened at the mention of the vrykolakas, but he remained quiet. And though Alfred was finding him a difficult man to read, he thought he saw a glimmer of pride in his eyes when Alfred spoke of how Herbert had single-handedly fought the rabid vampires off.

Some details Alfred kept to himself. Krolock did not need to know about how Herbert had whispered with him at the local wedding, or about the way Herbert had dragged him through the market stalls when he’d discovered the taste of candy. Those were little treasures, things Alfred kept close to his heart, and he suspected Krolock did not want to know those details anyhow. Alfred only spoke of where they went, how long they stayed, and where they moved next.

Krolock’s gaze hardened when Alfred spoke of Herbert’s re-capture, and his long fingers tapped on the edge of his armchair as Alfred went on.

“And then, um…” Alfred gulped. “Alibori’s mercenaries intercepted us on the way to get you, but Sarah got away and…well…you know the rest.”

“Hm.”

Krolock sat back in his chair, his expression unreadable. Nervously, Alfred took a sip of his now-cold tea.

“I will have Professor Abronsius tell me more about this Somnum Immortuorum of his. A potion that can induce hibernation in a vampire is a troubling thing,” he said.

Alfred gulped, but he nodded his head.

“Please…” he licked his lips. “Please don’t be too harsh on him? He…he thought Herbert had taken me by force. He…he didn’t know.”

Krolock was still unreadable as he stared off into the distance, his fingers tapping against his armrest.

“...he cares for you,” he said, turning his gaze to Alfred. “Like a son.”

Alfred flushed. “I wouldn’t presume—”

“You’re not,” Krolock said. “He does. And you care for him as if he were your father.”

Alfred dipped his head, but found himself unable to argue with Krolock. He nodded.

“And yet,” Krolock mused. “Still you defied him, challenged his views, and saved my son even when you thought he was a monster.”

Alfred flushed even more. “W-well, I…I couldn’t just let Alibori…it wasn’t right.”

“No,” Krolock agreed. “And yet, most would not think to offer creatures such as my son and I the same consideration that you have. After all, we are dead, we drink the blood of the living. You curbed that very thing in Herbert, did you not? Convincing him to only drink the blood of animals.”

Alfred flinched back from the intensity of Krolock’s gaze.

“Still,” he said, casting his eyes down. “That doesn’t mean treating you like less than people is…alright. Not even in the pursuit of knowledge.”

“Or the pursuit of protecting your kind against mine?” Krolock arched an eyebrow, and Alfred just flushed more. Krolock hummed.

“And it was this…respect for personhood that led you to then chaperone my son across entire countries?” Krolock asked with an arch of his eyebrow. “You released him; your journey could have ended there.”

“He didn’t know where to go,” Alfred said. “And I…I couldn’t just…leave him to wander around on his own. Besides I…I thought my career at the University was ruined anyhow. It wasn’t as if I had anywhere to go, either…”

“You could have pleaded your case,” Krolock countered. “Feigned hypnosis.”

“And then just sat back while Alibori hunted Herbert down again?” Alfred asked. “I couldn’t…”

Alfred faltered, and he looked down again.

“...he needed my help,” he said. “He was all alone, and…and I knew a bit of what that was like.”

When Alfred dared to glance up at Krolock once more, he saw that the Count’s gaze remained intently on him.

“Your story matches with Herbert’s,” he said abruptly, turning to look away. “Though he was more fanciful in his description of certain events.”

“...I’m sure he was,” Alfred said. He almost smiled, but then he froze when Krolock turned his striking gaze back to Alfred.

“You’re aware he’s in love with you, yes?”

“I….” Alfred gulped, but nodded his head. “Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Do you love him as well?”

This was it. This was the moment Alfred had been dreading. He would tell Krolock, and Krolock would tell him in no uncertain terms that Alfred was to leave Herbert and never come back.

So he steeled himself, and he gave a quick nod of his head.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Krolock sighed, and Alfred squeezed his eyes shut.

“Then tell him already.”

Alfred’s eyes snapped open, and he stared at Krolock.

“P-pardon?” he stammered.

“My ridiculous son thinks that you are planning on eloping with Sarah,” Krolock said, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. “He is already making a martyr of himself, bemoaning the fact that he will have to let you go love another. Alfred.”

Krolock lowered his hand and stared levelly at Alfred.

“My son was not meant for brooding. Please, break him of this ridiculous delusion.”

“You…” Alfred licked his lips. “You’re not…displeased?”

“I am displeased that my son is working himself into a sickness over something that is nonexistent,” Krolock said flatly.

“But not…with me?”

Krolock sighed again.

“Why would I be?” he asked. “Because you have no title? Herbert and I are no longer part of any living Court, Alfred, and vampire society cares very little for who you were in life. What I do care for is my son’s happiness and well-being, and it sounds as if you have been the key to both in these past weeks. What’s more, you seem to have a brain in that head of yours, one that is capable of thinking for itself. I am relieved. Or I will be, once you rid my son of this sickness he has worked himself into.”

Krolock slumped back in his chair. “He is moping in his room. Koukol can show you the way.”

“I…” Alfred’s head was swimming, but he quickly stood and quickly nodded at Krolock. “Yes, Your Excellency! Thank…um…yessir! Right away.”

Alfred stumbled away, bumping into a bookshelf as he did, and he could have sworn he heard another beleaguered sigh from the Count behind him.

Alfred’s heart was hammering in his chest as Koukol led him to Herbert’s room, but the storm in his mind settled a little when he heard the sound of sniffling coming from within.

Oh, Herbert…

Koukol grunted, and Alfred blinked as the hunchback looked up at Alfred and put a hand on his arm before hobbling away.

…right.

Alfred sucked in a breath then, and he knocked on the door.

“Herbert?” he softly called. He heard the sniffling stop, followed by the rustling of sheets.

“It’s unlocked,” Herbert called. Alfred sighed, and he slowly opened the door.

Herbert’s room was opulent. Alfred was taken aback by the scale of it, by the intricacies of the paintings on the walls and the carvings in the wood. Rich velvet drapes covered the canopy bed and the windows, though they were currently pulled back to allow the moonlight to filter through. At some point a star chart had been painted on the ceiling in rich blues and golds…

Sitting on his bed was Herbert, but he quickly stood when Alfred entered. He wasn’t decked in the finery that Alfred recalled from the dream, but the silk of his shirt was still finer than anything Herbert had worn on their travels.

Alfred tried not to be too distracted by the way it hung on his shoulders.

“How are you?” Herbert asked, stepping closer to Alfred. “Father said he wanted to speak with you. He didn’t scare you, did he?”

“Oh, no,” Alfred quickly shook his head. “He just wanted to hear about what had happened…me finding you, and all that.”

“Ah,” Herbert nodded. He hesitated a moment, and then he offered Alfred a small smile. “...thank you, by the way. For saving me again.”

“Of course,” Alfred said immediately, taking a step closer. “I couldn’t just leave you, Herbert.”

“But you could have,” Herbert looked down. “You’d found my father, you told him where to find me, you didn’t need to go through all that trouble…but you did.”

He looked back up at Alfred, and he offered him a sad smile.

“I hope it hasn’t intruded on your plans with Sarah too much.”

Oh, Herbert.

In spite of himself, Alfred smiled.

“It didn’t,” he said. Herbert’s smile only tightened, the vampire clearly not understanding what Alfred was getting at.

“Good,” he said. “Good, I…I hope you both are very happy together, and…”

“Herbert, I’m not running off with Sarah.”

“You’re staying here then?” Herbert sniffed. “Having a nice wedding in the village? Good luck convincing her father…I can go terrorize him if you—”

“Herbert.” This was getting ridiculous. “I’m not marrying Sarah. She’s a friend, nothing more.”

Herbert’s mouth pursed into a tight line, and Alfred’s heart clenched when he saw a wobble to Herbert’s bottom lip.

“Then why did you offer to leave with her?” he asked, his voice small. “Do you hate me that much?”

“Herbert, no,” Alfred took another step forward, reaching out to take the vampire’s hand. “The opposite. I was so afraid that you’d leave me once I was no longer useful, and I….I didn’t want to be alone again, so I thought at the very least I could be useful to someone else.”

Herbert blinked at Alfred, his brow furrowing a little. He looked down at their joined hands, and he rubbed his thumb over the skin of Alfred’s wrist.

“...but I don’t want you around because you’re useful,” he said. “You are, of course, but that’s not the point.”

“I know,” Alfred said softly. “I know that now. And I'm sorry it took so long to see it…and to realize…"

Alfred hesitated, his heart stuttering a little.

Come on, Alfred. You've admitted it to everyone else by now.

But as Alfred looked up at Herbert, up at his large blue eyes and his painted lips still pulled into a faint pout, his chest tightened.

Abruptly, even the meager space between them seemed like too great a distance. Alfred couldn't stand it any longer. He yanked Herbert forward, and he caught a glimpse of the vampire's eyes widening in surprise before Alfred pulled him into a tight embrace. Alfred buried his face in Herbert's shoulder and clung tightly to him as he released a shuddering breath.

"I was so scared, Herbert," he murmured into the vampire's shirt. "When Alibori got you again I thought….I didn't know…"

Herbert's arms slowly came up to wrap around Alfred in turn, and he felt a shuddering exhale escape the vampire.

"And when I thought…when I thought you wouldn't want me around anymore…"

Alfred sniffed and pulled away, but only enough so he could meet Herbert's gaze.

"I love your company," he said. "And…and I love how the littlest things can make you excited. I love how fearless you are, and how unashamed you are, and how alive you are."

Herbert's eyes had gone very wide, but as Alfred started heaping compliments he actually looked a little flustered. He downcast his eyes, a small shy smile creeping into his lips.

"...I'm happy when I'm with you," Alfred said. "And I've never been one to be brave, but…you make me feel like I could be. And…"

…Oh, the way Herbert was looking at him from under his lashes was so unfair.

"...and I really, really want to kiss you. Herbert? Can I please…"

Herbert's eyes widened, and a punched-out sound left him as his mouth went slack. But then he was nodding his head vigorously and Alfred scrambled, fingers bunching into the fine silk of Herbert's shirt as he pulled him down and stood on the tips of his toes to meet him.

A month ago Alfred’s palms would have been sweating as he worried if he was even doing this right. But the pressure of Herbert’s mouth on his, the way his arm wrapped around Alfred’s waist to securely hold him in place, the way his other hand was sliding into his hair…

It was right. It was more than right.

When they parted, both panting, Alfred opened his eyes to see Herbert, lipstick smeared and hair mussed and falling out of his ponytail and oh he was still wearing the bow tie.

Almost in a trance, Alfred reached up to cup Herbert’s jaw, to swipe his thumb underneath Herbert’s bottom lip to wip away some stray lipstick. Herbert shuddered a little, his eyes fluttering.

“I love you too,” Alfred said.

Another shuddering gasp wracked through Herbert’s body. His eyes welled with tears, and then he was lurching forward to kiss Alfred again. Alfred stumbled back a little from the force of it, but he breathlessly laughed as he returned Herbert’s desperate kisses.

“Herbert,” Alfred laughed. “Herbert, you're holding me too tight. I can’t breathe.”

“Oh,” Herbert released Alfred, though he kept his arm still loose about his waist. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“I know,” Alfred smiled, and stroked his thumb along Herbert’s jaw. “I know.”

Herbert leaned down to rest his forehead against Alfred’s, his eyes large and shining and happy as he looked down at him. His hand remained comfortably resting on Alfred’s lower back, his thumb gently stroking along his spine.

“Stay?” Herbert murmured.

Alfred met Herbert’s gaze, and his lips pulled into a faint smile.

“I think I will.”

Herbert’s grin was more dazzling than the moonlight streaming into the room behind him, and this time it was Alfred’s turn to launch himself at Herbert, jumping up to breathlessly kiss him again. Herbert easily caught him, laughing with Alfred and swinging him around.

“Herbert.”

“Yes, my love?”

“Hands.”

“Darling, I’ve been wanting to kiss you like this since I first met you. Allow me this one liberty.”

Alfred sighed, but smiled all the same as he leaned in for another kiss.

Chapter Text

Dearest Alfred

I hope you’ve been well! I’ve missed you, Herbert, and the Count all quite terribly. The Professor misses you too, but he usually says it by way of wondering out loud “where did Alfred keep my lecture notes?” He’s such a curmudgeonly dear. He’s been in an especially excitable mood as of late. One of the other Professors brought back rubbings from some stone tablets he found up in Norway. He thinks they’re as old as 2nd Century, Alfred, and they’re written in proto-Norse. You’d be absolutely over the moon if you were here, I know you would be. I’ll be sure to bring you a copy of the rubbings. Oh, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

Professor Abronsius found such interesting things once he had these tablets translated! He thinks they indicate some of the earliest sightings of vampires. You should have seen how he danced when he finished the translations. Or perhaps it’s best you were spared that sight.

We’re planning on making a journey in the spring, when it’s not so terribly cold, but before then he wants to stop by and raid your library again to see if he can find any other references to guide his way. So, we’ll be stopping by near the end of winter! I look forward to seeing you all again. It’s been far too long! The wedding was lovely, of course, and I know you and Herbert needed your space, but I do desperately need someone to talk to. I’ve made friends with some of the girls who work in the kitchens here, but I see their eyes glaze over when I start to talk about Viking Age rituals. And all of the boys are too scared to speak to me, after I boxed Rupert for saying girls couldn’t be academics.

Speaking of, you’ll never believe who I saw the other day! I went over to the library to get some texts for the Professor, and I saw Sebastian in the Classics section! Turns out he did make his way out of Transylvania alive, after all! It seems like he’s transferred over to be a Literature student instead. I suppose the excitement of archeology wasn’t for him. Ah well, not everyone has a taste for adventure.

I’ve gotten away from the point of this, haven’t I? I think I’ve been spending so much time with the Professor, I’ve taken to rambling like he does. Ah well, all the more reason to look forward to seeing you again!

Give Herbert and the Count my love, and my apologies for the damage Abronsius will undoubtedly do to their library. And say hello to Koukol as well! I’ve missed his cooking dearly, and look forward to exchanging more recipes with him that I’ve found here.

All my love,

Sarah

p.s. I know you and Herbert just got back from your honeymoon, but perhaps you should consider joining Abronsius and I for our venture! Having two vampires around would certainly be useful. Three maybe, if you think we can convince the Count to come along!

A fond smile quirked onto Alfred’s lips as he read over the letter. He’d known Sarah and the Professor would be a terrifying duo, but even now they still managed to surprise them with what they got up to…

He sighed a little as he folded up the letter, and he glanced down at the sleeping vampire next to him.

“Are you going to stop pretending to be asleep now?” he wryly asked.

Herbert remained motionless. Alfred sighed.

“Herbert,” he said. “I know you’re awake. I can see you smiling.”

In spite of the traitorous quirk to the vampire’s lips, his eyes remained firmly closed.

And then he pouted a little, and Alfred gave a long-suffering, horribly fond sigh.

“You can’t do this every evening,” he said, but still he leaned over to lightly press his lips against Herbert’s.

And then he was on his back, Herbert’s arms having wrapped around him in an instant. Herbert grinned down at Alfred, his eyes sparkling with mirth.

“If you didn’t want to wake me up with a kiss every night, then you shouldn’t have started it in the first place,” he retorted.

“That was circumstantial,” Alfred insisted, even as he smiled against the fond kisses Herbert pressed to his lips and his jaw.

“Even now, you try to deny you loved me all along?”

“Herbert, I literally told you I loved you the next evening.”

“You waited far too long.”

“Did I?” Alfred laughed, wrapping his arms around Herbert in turn. “Well, I suppose I’ll need to make up for lost time then, won’t I?”

“Hmm, yes,” Herbert agreed as he nuzzled Alfred’s neck. “But then we have eternity to do so, don’t we?”

“That we do,” Alfred smiled, and he leaned up to kiss Herbert again.

“By the way,” he murmured, pulling away from the kiss. “I got a letter from Sarah…”

“Oh,” Herbert’s eyes instantly softened with sympathy. “Alfred, I’m so sorry.”

“What?”

“I know you were so fond of the Professor, but he lived such a long life…”

“The Professor’s not dead, Herbert!” Alfred laughed.

“He’s not?”

“We saw him only a few months ago!”

“He’s still alive?”

“How short do you think human lives are?”

“Evidently shorter than they are,” Herbert murmured, his brow furrowing.

Alfred laughed again, and he pulled Herbert in so he could press a fond kiss to his pouting lips.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get up. The Professor is not dead, and he and Sarah are going to be stopping by to do some additional research. And I don’t think the library has recovered from their last visit.”

“Oh, Hells,” Herbert sighed as he rolled off Alfred. “I hope Father doesn’t make moon eyes at Sarah again.”

“I still don’t see what you meant by moon eyes. I thought he was just looking at her normally.”

“You don’t know him like I do. And you didn’t see his face after she hit Henry the Eighth for trying to take a bite out of her. They were moon eyes, Alfred.”

“Well,” Alfred said, wrapping his arms around Herbert. “If I can work up the courage to tell you how I feel, surely your father can get his own feelings sorted.”

“You’d be surprised,” Herbert murmured, but he turned to press a kiss to Alfred’s nose, which was then followed by a kiss to each cheek and then his chin and finally his lips again.

“Herbert,” Alfred laughed against the kisses as Herbert wound his arms around him in an octopus grip. “Herbert.”

“The library can wait,” Herbert insisted. Alfred sighed, but smiled all the same in the face of Herbert’s large puppy-dog eyes.

“Alright,” he said, pressing an endearing kiss to the corner of Herbert’s mouth. Herbert grinned, and he tackled Alfred back onto the bed.

“...we remembered to hide those books on Sekhmet and Hekate, right?”

“Alfred.”

“I’m just saying, we don’t need the Professor investigating vampires who had cults.”

“Alfred.”

“Think of all the trouble he’d get into.”

“Alfred. Please. Books later. Kisses now.”

“Alright,” Alfred laughed, nuzzling against Herbert’s neck. “I’m sorry. You know how distracted I get.”

“I know,” Herbert said, an unmistakable touch of fondness to his voice as he pressed his lips against Alfred’s again. “And you know I do love to hear you ramble.”

“I was not rambling.”

“It’s like poetry to my ears, truly.”

“Herbert.”

“I’d just rather it if you didn’t talk about the Professor while we’re—”

Alfred rolled his eyes and silenced Herbert with another kiss, and the two of them laughed.