Castlevania: Of Darkness and Light

Calm Before the Storm

The sun of the late afternoon bathed the castle in golden light. It actually looked beautiful, like a palace in a brilliant other-world. The pine trees shimmered green, and the smell of the forest mingled with the human scents.

Alucard had gone with Greta to go over the weapons in the armory, he had the sense like I did we'd need them soon enough. I was happy seeing him come out of his shell. He needed to be around people other than me (definitely other than Belmont!), and I could sense the other humans were, slowly but surely, beginning to warm up to him.

"He thinks himself a lonely vampire, but he's human too." I looked up at our castle home. "I can only do so much to help him remember that part of himself." I sighed, watching the settlement spread from the castle doors.

"I sure hope Greta settles everyone in a place close to home. It would do him good to be among friendly people nearby." Heck I wanted them to stay close! I didn't want to lose the connections I've made by distance or time.

Turning my head, I noticed a hunched over old woman looking up at the Belmont Hold. She was dangerously close to the hole, contemplating going down into the ruins herself. I rushed over to her quickly. "Excuse me? Ma'am? It's too dangerous to go in there right now! You have to step back!"

She turned around when I touched her shoulder, her face creased with wrinkles and she gazed at me with warm hazel eyes as if I were an old friend.

"You haven't aged a bit." She smiled. "But of course you wouldn't, angels don't age like people even if they look like them."

I stepped back. "Have we met before?"

"We have." The elderly woman chuckled. " It was a long, long time ago, and I have since grown old. I understand if you don't recognize me."

"Yeah." I scratched the back of my head. "It's....been a while. Remind me again who you are?"

"I'm Mira." The old woman answered, looking at the ruined estate. "The last time you saw me, I was a little girl. Back in those days this place wasn't old and ruined, the Belmonts still lived here and their reputation reached us close to our little village. Imagine, the greatest monster hunters in the world living in your neck of the woods! I begged my mother and father to take me here, but they said 'Mira, you have no business dealing with demon slayers!'"

Old rebellion twinkled in her elderly eyes. "One day before the sun rose, while my mother and father still slept, I decided to set out to see  the Belmonts myself and sneaked away!"

"You're kidding!" I exclaimed. " The Belmont Hold is a long way from Danesti for a little girl to walk. You couldn't have gotten very far."

"Oh I got far enough ." Mira said. "I kept going southward along the old dirt road until I was chased by monsters into the woods. I ran until my legs tired, but then I realized I'd gotten far off the road and was lost."

"That's horrible! It's a miracle you didn't get eaten!"

"It wasn't a miracle." Mira laughed. "It was you." She pointed to me. "You appeared to me in a travelers cloak with the wooden staff you hold now, and asked what a little girl like me was doing out in the woods alone. When I told you, you gave me a good scolding. I was so upset when you said I had to go home, but you were right. It was a long way home and a longer way to the Belmont hold. After that run-in with demons, I wanted to go home. 'Don't worry about walking all the way back, I'll carry you.' you told me. The moment you picked me up, I fell asleep, and  when I woke up I was home in my own bed. My folks gave me an even worse scolding, but they were overwhelmed with relief I was all right. My mother was crying heavily, I remember."