There Is No Me Beyond You

~31~

We left Bran a few days later.

Vlad, faithful to his promise about trying to make the best of this journey, and turn it into an occasion to show me at least a part of his realm, decided that we would travel at human pace. Which meant that getting to Hunedoara would take us more than a week.

Leaving Junior and Radu in charge of everything, and asking Katerina to keep a watchful eye on them, Vlad also left most of the Guards and Knights at their disposal. Only Lucas, five men of the Guards and ten Knights were to accompany us. And, unseen to everyone but me, the wolf pack trailing behind us in the distance, blending into the shadows filling the spaces among the thickly grown trees, completed our entourage.

The forest encompassing Bran seemed endless; it took us three days and two nights, spent under tents, to reach the first sign of civilization-- a wide, dusty road, and then a small village with a name too complicated to remember, soon after.

Vlad tried to make me remember places we had visited together centuries ago as our journey continued-- a small thermal lake in the middle of a forest, an age-old stone tower taller than the tallest trees, an abandoned windmill-- but I did not recall anything until we reached Sighişoara. Vlad insisted on stopping there before we would continue to Hunedoara, even though it meant that we would have to take a much longer route.

I was moved nearly to tears as a flood of memories hit me the moment I saw the ancient walled town, the spires of its many churches rising above the stone houses attempting to pierce the low, waterlogged clouds hinting at the oncoming storm, its cobbled streets loud and alive with people on their way to a church or a market, smiling and bowing to us as we rode up the steep, crooked lanes.

This was Vlad's town, the place where he was born, and we had been here many times before.

Pressing my heels into Frost's sides, I urged him to lead our group along the streets filled with hectic activity, mingling voices, the scent of freshly baked bread from bakeries, ale and wine from the guest houses, full despite the early hour, towards the house I remembered so well.

I jumped off the saddle the moment Frost, apparently recognizing the place too, stopped in the middle of a small, quiet square spreading in front of the tall building attached to one of the many Sighişoara's protective towers. I focused, trying to link with Shadow, and make the wolves stay hidden in the forest on the outskirts of the town, knowing that the citizens would not welcome a wolf pack within the town's walls. When I heard hoof beats announcing Vlad and the rest of our group reaching the square I turned towards the sound and beamed at him.

"So you remembered." He said, smiling, as he wrapped me in an embrace.

"I did. Thank you for bringing me here." I said.

Remembering events, or just places like this old town house where I spent a few weeks of my life centuries ago still felt like a miracle.

"And I have a surprise for you. Look."

"Sorina... Mihail?" I asked, unbelieving, as I turned around and looked at the couple emerging from the door of our house.

I hadn't seen the two since before their wedding, which I could not attend, thanks to Radu. I knew that they left the castle shortly after and lived happily somewhere, but no one told me where exactly.

"Yes. They keep this house for us." Vlad said, even as the two approached to greet us.

I pulled Sorina into an embrace, surprising her, but I couldn't help it. She was the only human girl whose transition I witnessed closely and even though we had not had enough time to become the closest of friends, I had missed her.