Chapter 7
The Unanswered Questions
D glanced at her and started towards the bathroom. "Thank you." He said as he passed her. Then she smiled and left.
The bathroom air was warm from the steam of the hot bath water and filled with the sweet sent of the lavender candles his father liked to burn all around the castle. The floor was tiled with black marble and the counter and tub were made of the same material. The faucets and such were crafted out of pure gold and all of the handles were diamonds.
D closed the door behind him. Standing in front of the sink, he slipped the robe off and looked at himself in the mirror. Though they weren't very visible against his pale skin, he had scars all over his body. Dozens, perhaps hundreds. He'd been in so many fights he couldn't bother to keep track. All of these new cuts would only add to his collection.
He lowered his head and slowly began to peel the bandages from his skin and drop them in the sink. Usually he's very neat, but he was too tired now to bother with tidiness. The servants could clean it up later anyway. When he was done with removing the smaller bandages, he turned his attention to his left shoulder which was wrapped in bandages. He unraveled the gauze quickly and dropped the blood stained cloth into the sink as well. The infection was beginning to recede and allow his wounds to scab over and heal. The beast that had attacked him days before had nearly taken his shoulder off when it bit him. Now all that was there were the deep holes that decorated D's flesh with the pattern of the monsters sharp teeth.
The dhampires eyes went sharply out of focus then back and he suddenly felt himself tipping. He caught himself with his left arm and winced as the pain in his shoulder shot through the analgesic, which he had been given earlier, as the reflex forced his muscles to contract. His illness, the morphine, and his recent inability to sleep left him weaker and more unstable then he had been earlier. Just standing up made him dizzy. All he wanted to do was rest.
He turned and walked over to the tub. Holding onto the wall to keep himself up, he lifted each shaky leg into the bath one by one, then laid down in the spa-hot water, closed his eyes and relaxed.
After a moment he heard a light splashing noise. His eyes blinked open and he looked in the direction of the disturbance.
"Christ, is it hot enough for ya??" The symbiote said perching on the side of the tub and shaking off the hand he had used to test the water with.
D frowned and pulled his legs up. "Don't do that. I might catch something."
"Eh?" The creature lifted an eye brow. "I donno how it's any different from when I was attached to your damn hand."
"Get OUT of here."
"Ack!!" The symbiote quacked as D kicked at him, knocking him down. He shot back up into the air with his arms crossed over his chest. "Geez, you're moody!" It grumbled and landed on the counter by the sink. "...This is not my home."
"Okay, fine. EX-home. Well, how does it feel?"
"How many times are you going to ask me that?"
"Until you answer me!"
D frowned again and looked away.
"Oh, come on. Don't start this crap with me! Say something!"
"..."
The ghost flew down to float in front of D's face. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese!"
"..."
"For once, can we tryyyy to have a serious conversation?"
D glared at him. "No."
"Why not?"
"Because you are incapable of having a serious conversation." He lifted a hand and slapped the creature away again.
"OWW!" He cried as he landed on the hard floor, then jumped back up. "Stop that!!!"
D smirked, finding the ability to push and punch the symbiote around for once was amusing for the time being.
The ghost perched on the sink again and stayed there this time. "Okay, so you're here after... how long has it been?"
"Not five thousand years. You exaggerate everything."
"Fine then. Enlighten me. How long's it been?"
"I don't know."
"Make an estimation."
D thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. I don't care about how long it's been. Just leave me alone."
"....Oh, wait. I get it." It said narrowing its beady black eyes. "You're trying to alienate yourself from your heritage so you don't have to deal with your past. Is that it?"
"..."
"Or, no. You don't want to talk about it because you don't even wanna be here. Because you don't want anything to do with this place because it reminds you of what you've denied yourself for so long. Because you don't want to accept the fact that your father is a vampire! And that your sister and brothers are dhampires! That you are half vampire! A dhampire! The son of the king of the vampires! Though you may try, you can never forget who you are! And who you are is Prince Victor Cullen Alexander Dracula! You can't—OOPH!!!" He was cut off by a bar of soap that flew through the air, hitting him in the face and knocking him into the sink.
The symbiote growled as it crawled back up, and when he looked at D, the dhampire was sitting up in the tub frowning crossly. After a moment he laid down, turned his head and closed his eyes.
"Ya know... even after all of these years spent with you, I still don't get you."
"..."
"Damnit, D. Talk to me for once!"
"..."
"Hmph..." The symbiote crossed its arms over its chest and turned around. In front of him was a calendar hanging neatly by the sink. "Oh, hey! The velvet moon is coming up soon. It only happens once every hundred years!"
Ever since the vampires showed up thousands of years ago the moon had started changing all kinds of colors. The red moon that occurred once every month was the most common. It was the night when the female human's blood was said to be 'unclean'. Such a rumor was absolutely ridicules to D. But he had heard stranger, more horrendous rumors associated with the red moon in other places but Europe. The velvet moon was different, however. To see the velvet moon was a very rare sight. Many human tribes passed down rumors of blessings and good fortune that came to anyone lucky enough to see the velvet moon. Not only was it considered 'lucky' to many people, it was also very beautiful. On this night, the moon shimmered with shades of blue, aqua and violet, and everything that got caught in its enchanting shine seemed to glow as if the moon were a giant fluorescent light, it was truly a phenomenon. To the people here, the night of the velvet moon was said to be the night that Dracula's kingdom won the war against the Castle of Cyrus. Thus was the castles name, Grand Castle Velour, velour meaning velvet in French. D wondered if they still celebrated on this night.
"Barbaroi! Coming from the west!" They heard a guardian shout from outside.
"Oh, great. Here we go again." The symbiote grumbled.
"...From the west?" D said turning back to the ghost.
"Yep, that's what he said. Why?"
"The coast is less than a mile to the west..."
"Yeah, so?"
"If they're coming from that direction they must be crossing the ocean."
"And???"
"Those creatures... are not the barbaroi."
"Master D! You're bath is ready." A nurse said stepping out of the bathroom.