His Tears, Her Demons

Chapter Seventeen: Strange Encounter

Narrator

While Cristine began to sate her hunger, Alucard was getting to know a few of the locals, mostly Greta and Saint Germain. Though he smiled and listened to their sayings, he mostly has been silent throughout most of them and absorbed every word he could. Their stories fascinated me almost as much as the stories his parents told him as a boy. It was wonderful to have that feeling.

After a small while of chatting, Alucard looked back at the castle. My smile left me when he thought of Cristine and about last night. What was it that made her become a beast? Did she do this or did she always have it? Did someone or something do this to her while he was away somehow?

" Alucard.", the dhampir was brought back from his thoughts when he heard Greta's voice.

"Hm?", he hummed in response, turning his head left in her direction.

" Are you alright? You seemed practically gone for a moment there?", she stated.

" Oh, I was... Just lost in thought.", he explained to her.

" It's about your girlfriend, isn't it?", she correctly guessed," Ever since you brought her here last night you've been getting disturbed. And not just from what we saw last night. What is bothering you?".

Alucard turns his head from her for a moment, wondering how to answer that. He shouldn't lie to her about it mostly because of how he is usually never fond of that practice, and yet if he told her the truth of what he saw... What would she do? Cristine has already too much on her mind from all that has happened and telling someone without her consent could lead to more trouble for her. He didn't want that, she should feel at ease; not like a target for pity or hate.

He looked back at her for a small moment before looking away again." I can't explain it...", I finally answered as he then turned from her completely," I shouldn't tell you about it. It's personal.".

" Oh, it's that serious, eh?", she responded," Well then, I won't push it... At least for now.". He raised an eyebrow, wondering how she would take it that easily only to admit asking again eventually. He turned his head in her direction, only to find her walking away.

He then began to make his way back to the castle, wanting to check on Cristine. But he was stopped when a small child looked up at me with a big smile on her face. She looked no more than three years old, had round onyx eyes, and wore bright attire.

Alucard stared down at her with a raised eyebrow." Something you need, child?", he asked. She did not answer, only smiled up at him still.

___________________________________

After Cristine finished, she silently was pacing around the kitchen. She was nervous over seemingly nothing, though to her it was a lot. The people still frightened her.

Though she didn't want to wait for Alucard, she certainly didn't wasn't ready for any more people. Not after what happened yesterday. Whatever did happen yesterday anyway? All she could remember was being attacked and then waking up covered in blood that didn't belong to her.

She held herself, looking down in almost despair from the memory. She didn't know why, but she felt frightened and lost from wondering about what could have happened. Was it Alucard and she was too terrified of what she might see and then ran off or was it a beast that attacked that gave her time to run off?... Could beast have been her? She couldn't tell, but how could she without any memory of the moments between before and after?

Her breath shook once she heard someone entering the kitchen. She quickly turned to see who it was.

The "intruder" was a tall, middle-aged man with fading dirty blonde hair and eyes that were the same kind of blue as Cristine's. He had on the most eccentric noble-like attire she had ever seen. She didn't understand why, but there was something familiar about him as if they both shared something, something unseen.

" Apologies for intruding, miss.", the "intruder" said. He lifted his hand as he said that in the form of a calm halt.

Before she even thought of asking, he explained himself by saying," I was told by the master of the castle that there was some wine here."

Cristine said nothing in response. She only pointed to the counter where a bottle of wine was already waiting to be used.

He glanced over to it and then back at her to tell her," Thank you, miss.". He then paced towards the bottle.

Though Cristine was physically still and calm, her heart was beating at a rapid beat of harsh panic. "Who was this stranger?", she wondered," What was it that made him so familiar?".

As she watched him pour the wine, she noticed one of the rings on his fingers matched the one her mother had, a steel band with a red diamond. How did he get it? Did he have a matching ring out of coincidence or...

When he looked over and observed her for a moment, he asked," Do I know you?".

" I am not sure...", she responded," At least I don't believe so.".

" Ah... Then, allow me to acquaint myself with you.", he said then went over and tipped his strange green hat before stating a kind smile," Saint Germain, I'm a scholar and traveler."

She gave him a nod in response. They stared at each other in a long awkward silence." And you are..?", he added since he was waiting for her to introduce herself.

" Oh, I'm Cristine; Cristine Cal Tradet.", she responded which for some odd reason made his smile disappear.

" So it is her.", he thought.

Cristine tilted her head at him, trying to read the strange look on her face." Is something wrong, sir?", she asked him.

His head shook a little when his thoughts were disrupted by her question." Hmm... Oh, no. Nothing is wrong.", he responded with his words strangely trembling. He slowly began to walk to the door but without turning his body for some strange reason.

" I just-- I just need some air.", he quakes as one of his hands searches for the door knob. Once found he immediately opened the door and then began to run from the kitchen.

" What was that about?", she wondered out loud.

___________________________________

While running in the halls, he rushed to a slightly farther area in the castle." It can not be her?!", he repeated to himself," It can not be her?! We had made sure she was sent far away!".

Once he was at the other side of the castle, he slumped against the wall before sitting down.  He was breathing heavily and gripping his hair tightly out of panic." She shouldn't be here...", he told himself," She should not be in this realm.". He leaned his head back, practically grinding his scalp against the stone wall.

" Erina what have you done?", he wondered to himself in a whisper thinking of his long-estranged "sister".

___________________________________

Author's Note: Again I apologize for the delay but also for how short this is. With work and puppies, things haven't been easy to balance. So though I will not stop, I will only be able to release one chapter every couple of months or so. Or at the very least, until I can balance things out sooner. But I do hope everyone is doing well since I can imagine not much of the year has been easy. Do take care.

With love,

@RogueJester365