His eyes opened slowly, blinking tiredly, staring without emotion at the ceiling. After a few seconds, remembrance struck him, something that made him tense and grimace. He stayed motionless on the bed for a while, sorting every thought and memory.

He glanced sideways lethargically, to give the moon outside a contemplative stare. If it was nighttime, it meant that he had slept a lot, at least a day. Considering in which condition he was then, it did not surprise him, at all.

He was still a mess, wounds and blood loss not something that a body could amend that quickly. Sitting up was probably not a wise idea, yet he still did it, with a tired groan. He held his head with a hand, the motion blurring his already impaired vision.

Bastian sat there, brushing his forehead while he pondered every fact carefully, without hurry. The anger was the first thing to return, fast. It settled deep, as his fingers traced the scars that ran through the right side of his face, his eye discoloured and blind.

That loss perhaps was fateful, for Nerys did not know he was the captain she was battling, not until he had already been struck down and she emerged from the fire. Her rage, however, he could not accept that easily. All the hits, bites and humiliations… they came from a lack of trust.

He had never lost faith in her, not even after her change, nor as she showed him abhorrence. Somehow, he still hoped, unable to forget her past. And he was right in feeling that way, because she was indeed there, merely misled and disheartened. All that made her abuse more disturbing to recall.

Bastian took a deep trembling breath, covering his eyes for a moment. His resent was being drowned by his care, the knowledge that she had been deceived, led to believe she was betrayed. He let his hand down and raised his head, scowling and glaring at nothing. There was frustration in his heart, for he was not at fault. But there was also resignation, because she was not to blame either. Whatever had happened, it was orchestrated by someone else, not them.

There was a lie somewhere. The vampires told her a scout of his had seen them, and that he was informed of their presence. But he was not, he did not know anything. Something went wrong, to a horrible extent, for both. The two made mistakes. He was the one to feel guilty before, and now, she did.

“Goddammit…”

There were no words that could make justice to the anger and grievance he felt. He felt powerless, unable to piece together what happened, what made them fall prey of such misery. Due to it, he snarled and pushed himself off the bed, to walk slowly and carefully out the bedroom. He glared at the main door, his chest rising as he took a deep hopeful breath. His hand shook, slowly reaching for the doorknob. A glint of ire crossed his gaze, because it would not open.

“Does everything have to be locked shut?! It’s not like I will escape!” He stepped away with a snarl, to then hug himself, whispering tiredly. “I just…”

The only thing he wanted was to see her, talk things out. He had to know what happened; he needed answers, something that could bring them closure. Things would never be the same, they could not, indeed. But the two were still alive, even if they were different.

——————

 

“Sire?!”

Martha snarled, pulling again at the handle of the huge door. Her sharp teeth showed as she called loudly, her worry hinted in her scowl.

“Nerys!” She hit the door again with her fist, demanding, against all protocol. “Open! Or I will do so instead!”

A voice finally answered from within, after minutes of silence.

“Leave me be…”

She finally let go of the door, to glare at it. Her answer was scolding, yet caring.

“You know I can’t.”

Again, there was silence. Inside the dark chambers, those green eyes narrowed. Her claws clenched, piercing slightly her own skin. Martha waited patiently, always there, ready to aid her. Perhaps Nerys was older in vampiric age, but if human life was accounted she was the oldest. Being sired by her did not erase her maternal disposition, no matter how much the affliction tried to reverse the roles with its enforced instincts.

Nerys had all her life ahead of her when that horrible beast inflicted her with the disease. Her heart was still young, and easily torn. She felt lost sometimes, but she would always have her advice and help. When her voice echoed again from the darkness, she could not avoid but feel more worry.

“Just… Just do one thing.”

Martha huffed, stern.

“Will it help you?”

“It will.” She raised an eyebrow and leaned her head, because the next words tangled with fear and affection. “Just… Make sure he is alright.”

She laid a claw on her chin, her eyes narrowing, all ever knowing. Nerys sighed in relief when she heard the next words, gentle and thoughtful.

“Very well…” Martha smiled, using a slightly suggestive tone, inquisitive. “As you would?”

There was a faint hum of agreement, shy and hesitant. That was all she needed to step away from the door, for she knew well her thoughts.

“I see.”

Nerys held herself in the dark, hearing her walk away. She closed her sharp eyes and kept taking deep breaths, battling her own whispers in her mind.

—-

 

He paced back and forth, like a caged animal. Perhaps there was a fireplace, a comfy bed, a nice bathroom, elegant furniture, and big windows… But these chambers felt no different than that cell. He was still trapped, locked away.

Bastian growled, hating the sight of the door, which almost felt mocking. He bolted again for the far wall, pushing away the table there, to then glare at the window above. It was a normal one, lacking any metal bars that could stop him if he opened it.

He was sick of the guards. Well, of all vampires, to be precise. When they opened the door to bring him food, he had dared demand them freedom. Now he was sure they were afraid of Nerys and her threat, because they did not do anything to punish his audacity, not even if he yelled at them.

They were keeping watch outside, he knew. They maybe did not act with the same hostility and ignored his furious words, but they were still preventing him from leaving. He was a prisoner of their spite all the same.

Bastian snorted angrily and grabbed a nearby chair, to then push it against the wall. He stepped on it carefully, to reach the window above. It was big enough for him to crawl through it, so he unlatched the lock and opened it.

A strong gust of wind hit him, and that made him blink and then frown. He stared down at the huge drop, which maybe would not be deadly, but quite painful to take. His chambers were not in high grounds, but the castle stood on a big hill. This wall faced a ridge, the terrain quite sloped.

Just my luck…

The dungeons faced the plains, the green fields and village. Here, if he jumped, he could break a few limbs. He could not afford to mangle his body like that, not after losing sight in one eye. Still, he kept pondering about it, as crazy as it was. And worse of all, he was not considering fleeing, but getting back into the castle. He was shaping up a very stupid plan, in which he would climb down the ridge, sneak past the gates, and make his way to Nerys unseen. It was ironic, almost funny, that he did not want to leave. Well, not yet at least. If he could, he would stay worlds away from every single beast… excluding her.

He leaned there, peeking through the window like a fool, hating the idea of waiting any longer. His mind was so fixated, that when the door opened, it startled him greatly. Martha halted as soon as she set foot into the chambers, her eyes opening in bafflement, seeing him flinch and yelp loudly. By leaning sharply to look at the door, he lost his balance on the chair. She cringed as he thrashed, eventually falling back onto the ground.

“Oww…”

Bastian shook his head with a grimace, but he quickly raised his gaze to glare at the intruding vampire. He recognized her, the first official to direct him into servitude, quite derisively. That mockery was still there, right now. She had a claw on her hip, leaning her head to stare at him. There was no verbal comment from her, her inquiring look poignant enough, calm yet critical. She found his next scoff funny, her fangs showing in her smirk.

“W-what are you looking at?”

She snorted pridefully, stepping closer. He raised an eyebrow, because she closed the door, but did not lock it as others did.

“Well, I believe I’m looking at a human who has not studied the laws of gravity. Or perhaps, he has, which only makes him more foolish at the moment.”

Bastian stood up, keeping an eye on her every move, wary. He watched as she grabbed a chair, to then sit calmly on it, by the table he had pushed away from the wall. Her next motion made him quite uncomfortable, because she simply pointed at another chair with an open claw, inviting him to sit. He refused, demanding instead.

“I want to see her.”

She shrugged, tapping her nails on the table, not losing her patience like her comrades would.

“We all want to see her, but we can’t.” She nodded to the chair again, unbothered by his glare and disobedience. “However, you might, eventually. But only if you listen to what I have to say.”

Bastian shivered, doubting to comply as she laughed, showing her fangs in a mocking grin.

“Come on, I don’t bite.”

He gave her a look, to then snarl tiredly.

“Right, sure.”

Her grin softened when he sighed and stepped closer, finally resigning to her request. He grabbed a chair and moved it at a fair distance, to then sit on it gruffly. It was not like he could keep refusing, so he stayed silent and listened, cagily. That was enough for her.

“Now, human…” Bastian kept his gaze on her fangs, even if she acted in a relaxed manner, brushing her long curly hair. “I still don’t understand completely what has happened between you two… but I’m not blind. I’ve heard and seen enough. You care for her. So I’ll let you know that she is tearing herself apart right now, fearing for your wellbeing, Bastian.”

He blinked, surprised that any vampire would refer to him by name, much less this gently. Until now, all had been using terms like scum, human, or worse. She put her elbows onto the table, leaning closer to stare at him with her sharp eyes. After clasping her claws together for him to keep in sight, she continued.

“She has told me enough for me to know something: you are not a threat.”

Bastian nodded slowly, finally enjoying a reasonable conversation that did not end in screaming, even if it was with a bloodsucker.

“Don’t get me wrong, vampire. I am angry, and I do not feel any sympathy for your kind. But you are right, I don’t hate her, and I have no intentions of slaying her. In fact, I want to sort a few things out. She won’t bring me any more harm, so you won’t either, I hope…”

She could see the hate in his eyes, directed at her kin as a collective. However, it was contained, and perhaps even debated deep inside.

“Nerys will not harm you, indeed, so we won’t either.” She laid out a claw, getting to the point. “She has not only called for your safety, but for an improvement of your welfare as well. You will be sheltered kindly, as long as you don’t try anything… rebellious. And that brings me to what I must explain to you, very clearly.”

She stood from the chair, making him frown as she walked to the door. She laid a claw on it with a scowl, her next words suddenly firm, and cautious.

“You are free to roam the castle, with no commands or errands.” She raised a nail, warning. “However… I advise you to not set foot near her. Not yet. She will seek isolation, and in a sense, she needs it. I urge you to be patient, wait a while, even if you are dying to face her. Nothing good will come out of it, not now. She is fighting herself, in many ways, and she needs time.”

Bastian stood, not liking to be told to stay idle, much less by vampires. He hated to be shown a slight trace of freedom, but be kept away from his real objective.

“I can’t wait, I’ve done that enough already! I need to- We need…!”

She shrugged again, opening the door.

“You could try to speak up, but I assure you, she won’t open up. If you are patient, she will eventually be ready to listen. You will know when, I’m sure.” Bastian frowned sadly, doubting as she raised a claw to point at the door. “Now… Do you wish to roam, or would you rather stay locked in here? Your choice, I can care less!”

He looked around him, his grey eye hinting hesitation, for the chambers were quite private and isolated from vampires. She smiled faintly, seeing him step closer to her and the door, making the correct choice.

When she opened and moved to let him walk out, she felt slight amusement, because he fidgeted and looked around warily. He held one of his chains in an instinctive tick, like if someone would grab it at any moment. That made her stare at his shackles, carefully.

“Hmm…” Bastian blinked, seeing her march ahead, as if to guide him. “Before we let you walk between nobility, we should do something about those pesky chains, don’t you think? They are so ugly just hanging there.”

He stared baffled, looking back and forth. In the end, he nodded in agreement, tired of them. He had almost forgotten that they were something that should not be there, having worn them for so long.

She waved at him to follow, and she was glad to see him comply almost immediately, his reluctance near her fading. He believed in her word, even though his past self would scorn him for it. They got multiple stares as they made way, for most of the court was very wary of his presence. He did not care, however, because the only trust he wanted was hers.