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Hellsing: Coat of Arms	By : KDKB Category: Hellsing > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1360 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
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Chapter List
- 7
- 8
Chapter 7: The Men in the Monsters

((A/N: Blah blah. Long chapter. Anna. Alucard. Seiryu. Blah. Go read it already.))

The rest of the wee hours of the morning were spent rifling through the remainder of the files. With Seras' help, Anna was able to weed out the false reports by sunrise, leaving her with only a small pile of cases that actually needed to be addressed. Tapping the stack of papers on the desktop, she placed it neatly off to the side, then slid down in her chair until her forehead rested on the desk.

"Did they really expect us to believe that vampires have taken over Parliament?" she muttered into the polished wood.

Seras, who had been watching the sunlight creep across the floor from her perch on the desk, turned to give her friend an exaggeratedly exasperated grin. "I'd believe that before I'd believe the Queen was a vampire."

"How do these idiotic reports wind up on my desk? Isn't there some sort of screening process they have to go through before they get here?"

"You'd think." Seeing the patch of sunlight steadily sneaking up on her toes, she hopped down from the desk and retreated to the other side of the room. "However, Sir Integra always wanted to look through everything herself; she didn't want to be held responsible for the idle oversights of her subordinates."

"Of course she didn't." Casting one last sidelong look at the overflowing garbage can to her left, she heaved a heavy sigh and finally sat back up, pushing the chair back from the desk and climbing slowly to her feet. "I guess it's about time I got something to eat. I'm feeling a little light headed."

"You should have gotten some sleep," Seras grumbled, watching her shuffle tiredly toward the door.

"God, don't start that again." Stopping briefly with her hand on the handle, she cast a wan smile over her shoulder. "Besides, you're the one who can't handle sunlight. Shouldn't you be the one getting to bed?

"I can so handle it!" she yelped, planting her hands on her hips and giving her friend a scathing look. "It's just a little uncomfortable, that's all! I'm not a fledgling anymore!"

"Sure," Anna laughed, pulling open the heavy wooden door and starting out of the room. "I saw your hasty little retreat a few minutes ago."

Seras scowled, then followed her out. "Just because you can 'handle' sticking your hand in the fire doesn't mean you do it just to get burned."

"I was kidding, Seras. Don't worry about it."

The two women continued down the hall, their quiet footsteps muffled by the rich Persian carpet beneath their feet. For a brief moment, Anna was able to forget herself and her troubles, her tired brain remaining mercifully blank as she made her way to the dining hall. Before she knew it, she was seated in her chair near the head of the table, a plate of croissants and fresh-picked fruit laid out before her. A pot of coffee steamed merrily from atop its beautifully woven potholder, and the smell of hazelnut and vanilla permeated the air.

"Oh, thank God," Anna muttered, quickly turning over her mug and swiping the coffeepot from the table. She had never been fond of her mother's tea.

"So, what's on the agenda for today?" Seras asked, settling into the chair beside her and propping her chin up on her hand.

The younger woman paused, the spout of the coffeepot poised just above the rim of her mug. The events of the evening past had all but wiped everything else from her memory, and it took her a moment to even remember what day it was. "Um...it's...Tuesday, right?" She frowned, setting the pot back on the table while she thought. "I think today was the meeting with the Round Table Conference. Yeah, that's right. They wanted to welcome me to their ranks, give me some advice, blah blah blah." Picking up the coffeepot once more, she quickly poured herself a cup.

"Oh." Seras wrinkled her nose. "How...lovely."

"I've never dealt with them myself." Setting the pot back on its potholder, she slipped her fingers beneath the handle of the mug and brought it to her lips, cupping the warm ceramic with both hands and allowing herself a deep, gratifying breath. "Are they that bad?" she asked, meeting her friend's eyes over the top of her mug.

Seras watched her take a small sip of the fragrant liquid with an almost envious stare. "Let's just say...they're not the nicest group of people."

"Wonderful," Anna grumbled. "More people to appreciate my obvious talents as a leader."

The blonde draculina grimaced, the thought of the group of big shot know-it-alls showering her young master with their infinite 'wisdom' obtained from centuries of sitting on the sidelines burning like bad liquor in the back of her throat. "Just...take their words with a grain of salt. None of them really know what it's like to be on the front lines."

"Really?" Anna picked up one of the croissants, taking a small bite of the flaky pastry and regarding her companion with skeptical eyes.

"Really. You've only been the leader of Hellsing for a few days, and you've already seen more action than any of them have in their entire lives."

"Well, that's somewhat encouraging. Any chance it will make them go easy on me?"

"Unfortunately, no. In fact, it's probably just going to make it worse."

"A girl can dream." Her gaze passed idly over the antique wooden clock hanging over the mantle on the other side of the room, then jerked back in alarm. "Oh God, it's 8:05!" Cramming the rest of the croissant into her mouth, she shoved her chair back from the table, sloshing her coffee over her hand as she swiped it from beside her plate.

"I take it you were supposed to start the conference call at 8?" Seras asked idly, watching her wince as she washed the pastry down with steaming hot liquid.

"No time. Talk later." All but pitching the empty mug back onto the table, she swiped the back of her sleeve across her mouth and rushed out of the room, cursing herself every step of the way.

The meeting lasted well into the evening. After spending about an hour admonishing her for being late, each of the 11 other members then took the time to introduce themselves and their accomplishments at length while she desperately tried to seem interested in what they had to say. By the time the introductions were complete, it was time to break for lunch, and she was allowed half an hour to rush down to the dining hall, cram a sandwich and bowl of wedding soup into her mouth, and make it back to the conference room before the group reconvened. The afternoon was filled with speech after speech about the importance of her position and the various things that were expected of her while she held it. They discussed everything from the correct method of filing a report to the proper way to dispatch a vampire; Anna sat with her yellow notepad propped up on her lap, fully intending to take notes while she doodled idly in the margins. Finally, when the hour hand was encroaching on 7 o'clock, the other members of the Conference decided that they had adequately prepared her for what lay ahead, and one by one their screens went dark.

When she was certain that the last of the video calls had been disconnected, Anna chucked her notepad at the webcam mounted on the table before her and let out a loud, exasperated groan.

"Goddamned condescending, self-important, head up their asses, ignorant, bloated, conceited sons of..." Her angry words trailed off into an indiscernible string of obscenities as she shoved her chair back from the table and stormed out of the room. Despite her small and rather hurried lunch, she had no desire to return to the dining hall for dinner. In fact, the meager contents of her stomach were churning in the back of her throat, and she felt the unmistakable urge to be sick.

Rounding the corner at the end of the hall, she spotted one of the butlers on his way back to the servants' quarters after a long shift. She bit her lip, debating with herself, then broke into a light jog in order to catch him before he could enter the stairwell.

"Excuse me," she said breathlessly, her exhaustion making her pant despite the small amount of distance she had covered at little more than a walk. "I know your shift is over and I'm sorry to bother you, but...please, I need a drink."

The young man looked surprised at her disheveled state, but quickly regained his composure and offered a short bow. "Of course, ma'am. Anything in particular?"

"I think I'm going to have you open that bottle of 1787 Chateau Lafite. Yes, I know," she interrupted when he opened his mouth to protest, "that bottle was really expensive, should be saved for a special occasion, whatever. I don't care. Just bring it to me."

"...right away, ma'am. Shall I bring it to your chambers?"

"Yes, please. Thank you."

The butler swept her one final bow, then pulled open the door to the stairwell and disappeared into the shadows.

Anna watched him go, then dragged her fingers through her hair with another heartfelt sigh. "Sorry, mom," she muttered. "But after that 11 hour torture session, I think I deserve a little reward." Turning on her heel, she started back down the hall, thoughts of a hot bath, a cold glass of wine and a good night's sleep hurrying her tired steps toward her room.

Upon reaching her chambers, she gratefully made her way to the adjoined bathroom, kicking the door shut behind her and throwing the lock before padding across the room to the tub. Quickly turning the handles to the desired temperature, she dumped in a little too much lavender bubble bath and sat down on the porcelain edge of the bathtub, kicking off her shoes and socks while pulling her shirt off over her head. As soon as she was undressed, she swung her legs over the side of the tub and sank down into the rising water, unable to suppress a blissful moan as the bubbles tickled the bottom of her chin.

She allowed herself about half an hour to soak, then drained the tub and quickly dried herself off. Wrapping her silk robe around her lithe frame, she unlocked the door and stepped out into the room. A silver platter neatly arranged with a crystal chalice, silver tub of ice and the bottle of wine lay waiting on her bedspread, tastefully adorned with dainty embroidered napkins folded into ornate shapes. She covered a wide grin with her hand, then retrieved the platter and carried it out to the balcony.

Setting the tray down on the low wooden table, she sat down in one of the chairs overlooking the garden and poured herself a generous glass. Swirling the bittersweet liquid around in the wineglass, she took a lengthy sip, then rested the base against her leg as she gazed out across the grounds.

"Your mother never drank in times of conflict," came Alucard's voice from the shadows to her left, making her nearly jump out of her seat in surprise. He grinned as he watched the crimson liquid slosh over her hand and onto her robe, amused by her overreaction to something her mother would have found perfectly commonplace. "It dulls the senses when they should be at their sharpest," he went on, his booted feet making no noise as he stepped forth out of the darkness. "Surely she imparted this wisdom upon you?"

Shaking the sticky droplets from her hand in disgust, she slumped back in her chair and gave him an aggravated look. "I just dealt with the Round Table Conference for nearly 11 hours, Alucard. I think I've earned a bit of self indulgence. Besides, one glass of wine won't kill me."

"Whatever my master desires," he replied carelessly. Locking his hands loosely behind his back, he crossed the stone balcony and came to stand beside her, his stance casual as he began his report. "I was unable to locate Carmilla. She has either concealed herself well, or that fool of a demon was deceiving us."

Giving the remainder of her spilled wine one last longing look, she sat the glass down on the table and pushed it away. "Hard to tell, isn't it? In the meantime, however, we should keep looking just in case." She hesitated a moment, the knowledge of what she had to do next further turning her already roiling stomach. Her hands fell to the arms of the chair, her knuckles turning white as she slowly pushed herself to her feet. The vampire king watched her with mild curiosity as she turned to face him, waiting patiently for her to finally meet his gaze.

"Alucard..." she said at last, tearing her eyes from the floor of the balcony and forcing herself to look him in the eye. "Earlier today, Seras reminded me that you didn't feed before you left." She reached for her pocket out of habit, then, remembering she had left her utility belt inside with her clothes, scanned the balcony for another sharp object. Finding none, she blew out a small sigh and grabbed the crystal goblet, smashing it against the edge of the table with a short flick of her wrist. She hesitated just a moment, then pursed her lips into a determined line, trying to ignore his feral gaze upon her as she swiped her fingertip across the shattered crystal. Turning back to him, she held her injured finger out before him, a single crimson drop beading from her wound. "For you."

Alucard's eyes blazed with bloodlust in the twilight; however, he did not move to accept her offer immediately, choosing instead to take a moment to admire her commanding stance. "So there is some of your mother in you after all," he chuckled softly, removing his fedora and slightly inclining his head in the tiny sliver of moonlight. Then, with a small but toothy grin, he reached out and delicately cradled her injured finger, taking great care not to let the precious droplet melt into the fabric of his glove. In a single fluid movement, he dropped to one knee before her and brought her fingertip to his lips.

Anna felt his cold breath on her skin as he opened his razor sharp jaws. A violent shudder of fear and inexplicable delight snaked its way down her spine, and she sucked in an audibly sharp breath as she watched the tip of his tongue pass between his fangs to touch her injured flesh. Finding herself torn between the urge to run and the desire to watch in paralyzed fascination, she simply squeezed her eyes shut and tried desperately to think of something, anything, that would break the spell he had cast upon her.

"Um, Alucard...why do you serve my family?" she asked at last, her words tripping over themselves as she forced herself to remain perfectly still.

"Your mother never told you?" With a final swipe of his tongue across her fingertip, he healed her wound and regained his feet.

Anna shook her head, quickly drawing her hand back to her chest as if she had just placed it on a hot stove. "If she did, I wasn't paying attention," she muttered, rubbing at her fingertip with her opposite hand.

"Somehow I am not surprised, considering how little you know of your family's grand legacy. So let me start at the beginning. " Meeting her gaze with unwavering ruby eyes, he bowed his head ever so slightly, resting his hand lightly over his un-beating heart. "I was formerly known as Vlad the Third, Count of the country of Wallachia. My country was continually the object of desire for both the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and the Royal Knights of the Eighth Crusade in their endless quests for power. I would side first with one, and then the other, taking up with whoever would allow me to keep my throne amidst their better judgment. Time marched on, and the battles grew in number and in cost. In a rather catastrophic chain of events, I was eventually captured by the Sultan and, cast in iron chains, led to my death." His fangs were bared in a maniacal yet almost nostalgic grin. "They thought they had won, the poor bastards. They thought my land, my castle, my resources were theirs for the taking. But I would not give in so easily." He raised his hand before her, the pentagram on the back of his glove burning fiery hot as he clenched his fist in the darkness. "The blood of my army, the unfortunate fools who, serving under my command, were forced to surrender their lives to that fat fuck of a Sultan, lay at my feet. Rather than surrender my life and the lives of my men, I opened my mouth where I lay and drank in the blood of the battlefield. Hundreds, thousands, hundreds of thousands! The souls of the damned were mine. Thus, I became this." He spread his arms wide, smirking to himself as he saw the look of horror on her face. "Yes, little girl, I am a monster."

"I wasn't thinking that," she grated, stubbornly forcing herself to hold his gaze. "But none of that explains why you serve my family."

"Every step of the past leads inexorably to the present," he retorted with an idle wave of his hand. "Anyway, the Sultan and all of his ranks soon became a part of my kingdom, their filthy blood lost in the sea of crimson that was my country. I became known as Dracula, the vampire who would rule Wallachia unopposed for hundreds of years. However..." His eyes glazed over, a look that could be described as awe overcoming his sharp features. "Upon the visit of my accountant, one Jonathan Harker, I came to covet a woman by the name of Mina Murray; his fiancé. I traveled by ship to London to make her mine...only to be chased back to Wallachia like a beaten pup by Abraham van Hellsing: your great grandfather." He barked a wild laugh, his eyes wide with maddened glee. "That glorious man! He alone did what so many others had tried and failed to accomplish. He faced down the armies of hell to bring me, the vampire king, to my knees in a quivering pile of shit. He told me, 'you are bested. The girl has fled this place. She will never be yours, Count.' As he staked me through my heart, he gave me a choice: serve or die." A full-fledged bow was offered in a flowing wave of vermillion, the red traveler's hat pressed against a black and white coated chest. "And thus, I stand before you, the descendant of that great man, ready to serve until I breathe my final wretched breath."

"...I see." Finding herself at a loss for words, she quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "What would you do if the Hellsing family were to...I don't know, die out? You would be free of the pledge you made to my great grandfather, right?"

"I would be free to live a life of purposelessness, yes," he replied, straightening up and returning his hat to his head. "More than likely I would return to Wallachia to await the next great man who will put an end to me."

"And what about Seras? You would just leave her here?"

"I would feed her my blood, and then she would be free to do as she pleased."

"Ah." Putting the thought of Seras disappearing into the night from her mind, she cast her eyes out over the moonlit garden. "Alucard...this is going to sound strange, but what was my mother like when she was younger? I barely knew her even as an adult. She was always so busy..."

He grinned, then allowed his gaze to mingle with hers in the distance, talking more to the night sky than to his companion. "Since the day I met her, she was always the embodiment of power. She never backed down from a challenge, never flinched in the face of danger, and was never a slave to the mortal fear of death. She was the incarnation of Abraham van Hellsing himself. She was beautiful, powerful, and incorruptible. She was...and will always be... truly worthy of the title 'Master'."

The unusual tone of his voice brought her eyes back to him. Though he seemed calm and collected, standing there next to her as if he hadn't a care in the world, she sensed an unmistakable sadness lurking within. "...you loved her didn't you?" she asked quietly.

"I am a monster," he replied flatly. "Such things are of no use to me."

She raised an eyebrow at the way he dodged the question, but decided to let it go. "...right. Sorry." Padding across the stone to the balcony rail, she leaned against it, crossing her elbows on the polished granite and leaning out into the night. A soft evening breeze played through her hair, splaying it across her shoulders in a golden waterfall. "I think she loved you more than my father or me," she murmured, puffing a stray strand of hair out of her eyes. "She never really talked about it, but I know she wanted to find you with all of her heart; she was the only one aside from Seras who believed you would ever come back. When she died...I guess I really just wanted to make her wish come true." She turned slightly, angling her head back toward him without meeting his eyes. "I am not...nor do I ever think I will be my mother, Alucard. I'm afraid I'm bound to make many more foolish mistakes before everything is said and done. However, I want to make her proud, even if it takes me a lifetime of screwing up again and again. So please...just be patient with me."

He paused a moment, then allowed himself a hollow chuckle. "Despite her many accomplishments, your mother never did know how to admit she needed help. I suppose you are more mature in that aspect, for what it's worth. She was always such a stubborn woman..."

The young Hellsing gave him a small smile. "Yes...she was." Feeling the mixture of grief, exhaustion and the tiniest bit of alcohol tugging at her eyelids, she slipped away from the rail and walked back to the door. "Though I think you'll find I'm a little more like her in that aspect than you might think. Unfortunately, I believe we'll have to continue this conversation another time; I feel like I'm going to pass out. Good night, Alucard." She opened one of the French doors and paused, turning back once more to give him another tiny smile. "And please...next time, tell me when you're hungry." Gliding back into her chambers, she let the door fall shut behind her, then pulled the curtains across the reinforced glass panes.

The vampire king watched her go, then picked up the small bottle of wine from the edge of the table. The shards of broken crystal quivered where they had fallen, then sprang into his waiting hand, slowly forming the shape of the wineglass once more. Soon the spidery cracks were sealed with crimson streaks, the dried blood from her wound gleaming dully in the shadows. "Of course, master," he chuckled quietly, pouring himself a glass and swirling it tastefully in the moonlight. "Though you should know..." Drawing his tongue along the crimson band of blood, he tilted the crystal glass against his lips, draining the wine in less than a second. Smacking his lips with a satisfied sneer, he let the glass fall from the balcony to the bushes below. "...I'm always hungry."

When he curtains were closed, Anna began to make her way toward the bed. However, just as she was about to pull back the covers, she noticed that she had forgotten to close the door. Letting out an annoyed groan, she tossed the blankets back onto the mattress and went to shut the door. However, just before she could kick the old wooden door back into its frame, she saw Seiryu pacing restlessly out in the hall. Before she could even begin to run her options through her head, he had turned to face her, his nervous scowl unwittingly fading into a smile as he met her gaze. "I was wondering when you would be turning in," he said amicably.

"...I wanted to enjoy the night air for a little while," she muttered, suddenly wishing she had decided to sleep on the balcony. "Not that it's any of your business. So why are you here? Did you find something while you were making your rounds?"

"No, things were pretty quiet today. Look, Anna, I really just think we got off on the wrong foot. I should probably have let you know exactly why I decided to show up here in the first place. That is..." He raised an eyebrow. "If you're interested."

Realizing that he probably wasn't going to leave her alone until he had spoken his piece, she sighed and stepped forward to lean against the door frame. "By all means, although I'm curious as to why you have to tell me this now."

"I feel that if I don't, you'll ask me to leave," he replied. "So please, just hear me out. You see, I've watched over you since you were very little. As one of the...higher ranking demons in Hell, I was allowed special access to the viewing pool that allows us to monitor events on earth. I attained my rank when we started having a rather large influx of Nazi SS officers coming into our realm...in the last few months before the great fire in London. I was drawn specifically to watch the endeavors of your mother, Integra Hellsing. She and her servant Alucard were persons of extreme interest in our world, for they were the harbingers who sent many damned souls our way. Even I was impressed by the way she heartlessly ordered the deaths of thousands of men at Rio Janeiro; for all intensive purposes, she was a monster in her own right." He sneered to himself, ignoring the outraged look that was creeping across her face. "However, when Alucard left the mortal world, things quieted down. The steady stream of souls became little more than a trickle, and many of us turned our attention back to our own realm. I began to monitor the viewing pool only when it was required of me, leaving the mortals to fritter away their meaningless lives in peace. That is, until you came along." He reached out as if to take her hand, then appeared to think better of it, letting his arm fall back to his side. "At first, I found amusement in watching your abrasive mother try her clumsy hand at being a parent, but as time went by, I found I was becoming fond of you. When threats arose, I found my way to this world to head them off before you were even aware of them. And as you grew into an adult, I found I was completely enamored with you." He laid a hand over his heart. "And thus, I am here now, when the threat to your life is at its highest."

She stared at him for a moment, unsure of what to make of his story. "I'm...not sure what to say."

"You don't really need to say anything," he told her gently. "I just wanted you to understand why I'm so adamant about being here with you. I'm...not quite savvy to the ways of this world. I hadn't realized until just a little while ago that I may have come across a little oddly." He gave her a lopsided grin. "I mean, what use are manners in a place like Hell?"

She rolled her eyes, then forced a smile through tight lips. "Probably not much. Anyway, it's been a long day. I'm exhausted, so I'm going to have to mull over what you told me in the morning. I will see you tomorrow." Taking a step back into the room, she reached for the handle of the door.

Putting his back to the wall, he sank down to the floor, letting his head thunk back against the stone. "Goodnight, Anna. I'll be here keeping watch, if you don't mind."

She shrugged, ready to agree to anything if it meant she could just crawl into bed. "If you want. I doubt I could stop you anyway." Before he could respond, she hastily shut the door, throwing the bolt and all but flinging herself into bed. "God, finally," she muttered, pulling the blankets up around her chin. "I hope tomorrow goes better than today..." Snuggling up against her pillows, she drew her knees to her chest, her tired brain swirling with stories of counts and demons as she descended into slumber.
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Hellsing: Coat of Arms