Chapter XIII: Shards of Glass
"Your father's name is Christopher Henry Greystone. He is the Earl of Greywall."
Christina Elizabeth Hellsing stared unseeingly at the flames of the burning FREAK chip factory. She may be physically there, but mentally, she was in another place, in another time. She was once again in her mother's study, a few minutes before they would leave for Buckingham Palace.
"Christopher is a distant cousin of the King. We were wed in secret. He is dead. He died of a car accident before you were born."
The revelation had been unexpected. Christina could only stare at her mother in puzzlement. Then, when realization came, anger towards her mother rose in her. She wanted to ask her many things, like why did she only tell her now? If they were not meeting the king, would she have told her about her father?
However, Christina stifled her questions and her curiosity because they would meet the King later. It would not do them any good to be distracted in the King's presence. So she smiled, and thanked her mother for telling her the name of her father. She and her mother would have a private, blunt conversation when they return to Hellsing manor after the dinner.
They have yet to have that conversation.
Christina turned away from the burning factory and headed for the waiting helicopter. She drew her coat tighter around her. She didn't like watching spectacles like that. The only reason she was here because she could not be left alone in the mansion. Celes was somewhere out there, hunting the undead with her team. Walter was a little too old to guard her, so her mother thought it best to bring her to this operation.
She really wanted to talk to Integra, but other matters came up and usurped both their attentions before they could talk. One of them was the increased activity of FREAKS. The other one was her engagement.
Her betrothal had been the whole reason behind the dinner with the King and his two sons. They were just finishing dessert when the King said in a firm voice, "Sir Hellsing, Your family has rendered great service to the empire. Without Hellsing, the kingdom would surely have fallen to the hands of the undead."
Integra bowed her head. "Your Majesty is too kind. The Hellsing family lives to serve the Crown and to protect the kingdom from the undead."
The King smiled. "It is time for me to tell you the purpose of my invitation. I wish our children to wed, thereby joining our families for eternity. I wish for your daughter, Lady Christina Elizabeth, to wed my younger son."
Christina, who had been eating some cake, nearly choked at the King's words. Integral herself was stunned speechless by the King's announcement, although her face was expressionless as always. "Your Majesty, I am truly honored." Integral finally said after a moment of silence. "However, Christina is only fifteen, far too young for–"
The King waved his hand to his younger son who sat across Christina, a guarded look in his eyes. "Henry is eighteen. It will be quite some time before they marry, of course. That interval would give them time to 'get to know each other'. It would be an excellent alliance."
Alliance. That had been the key to the whole thing. A marriage between the prince and her would create a powerful and advantageous alliance between Hellsing and the Crown. Heart pounding in her chest, Christina had turned to her mother, waiting for her to answer.
"The engagement wouldn't be officially announced until they come of age, of course, perhaps when they're twenty or twenty-one. However, I want matters between them settled as early as possible." The King smiled charmingly at Integra. "I know this is quite unexpected, but I must insist a prompt answer."
Christina watched as her mother, expressionless as always, contemplated on the matter. Then, she stood up and said in a firm, solemn voice, "Your Majesty, I am honored that you consider my family worthy of an alliance with your family." She curtsied with profound respect. "We accept."
Christina's hands clenched unconsciously at the memory of her mother's agreement. Part of her had wanted to scream at her mother, to tell her she had no right to accept for her, as any girl in her situation would have done. However, she wasn't just any girl. She was a Hellsing, and she knew her duty. Far too well, it seemed.
After her mother gave her assent, Christina turned to look at her future husband. He was looking at her with kind eyes, a small smile on his face. He too, knew his duty far too well.
After that dinner, she rarely spoke to her mother, speaking only when spoken to. She needed time to think. There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so many answers she wanted to hear.
"The Harkers were attacked by ghouls a few moments ago! They are requesting immediate assistance!"
The announcement startled Christina out of her reverie. Her eyes snapped wide open at the news. She turned sharply to her mother, whose face had suddenly turned pale.
"Get us there as fast as you can," Integral ordered as the helicopter lifted off. "And give me Captain Whitelaw." The co-pilot handed Integra a radio, and she said in her calm, cool voice, "Captain Whitelaw, this is Lord Hellsing. I want you to send troops to Harker mansion immediately!" She spoke a few more orders, and then handed the radio back to the co-pilot. She turned to the pilot. "Get us to Harker mansion."
"Mother?" Christina turned to her mother, an unspoken question in her scarlet eyes. She knew her mother didn't like the Harkers.
"Joseph Jonathan Harker is a member of the Knights of the Round Table," Integral replied. Her blue eyes were expressionless, not revealing whatever she felt, but Christina could sense a tension in her mother.
Christina frowned. "Who do you think is behind this? Adrian is already dead, so…" Her voice trailed off. It had been a few days since her abduction, and yet she felt like it just happened yesterday. She still had the occasional nightmare. Though she knew Alucard had killed Adrian, a small, nagging part of her brain told her it wasn't over yet.
This is just the beginning, a small voice warned her.
"I do not know yet, Christina," her mother replied. "I'll find out when I get there."
The significance of her mother's use of the word 'I' was not lost on Christina. She was to be sent home, to be sheltered and protected. "I want to come with you, Mother. I want to go there and know for myself." If Adrian is truly alive, she didn't add. I have to know.
"Christina, I–"
Her scarlet eyes burned with determination and fierce, unyielding pride. "I will not run away. This my inheritance, do you not remember, Mother? My duty, my right. I will not run away from it."
*******
Harker mansion was not a pleasant sight to see when the Hellsings arrived. From the air, they could see smoke and fire coming out from several places in the mansion. When they landed, they found the place crawling with Hellsing troops and the Harkers own security forces. The air was filled with the scent of blood and smoke.
Integral stepped out of the helicopter and headed to where her troops were. Captain Whitelaw spotted her immediately and ran to her. After a weary salute, he told her what happened.
"The attack was quite sudden, Lord Hellsing." He pointed at a double-decker bus that had managed to slam itself to the gates of the mansion. The iron gates were now twisted beyond recognition. "They used that to get in. They rammed the bus into the gate."
As Integra looked at the now-ruined bus, she could not help but think of the Valentine brothers. They had attacked Hellsing the same way. "The fighting was very quick. After twenty or so minutes, the ghouls pulled back. They did a through job, though. Only a quarter of the Harkers' security forces survived the attack," Captain Whitelaw added grimly. "We're just finishing up here, Lord Hellsing. The mansion is quite secure."
"Good." Integra's blue eyes surveyed the scene before her, noting the carnage and confusion with almost clinical detachment. "What about Lord Harker? How is he?"
Captain Whitelaw shook his head. "We have yet to find Lord Harker. There's a possibility he's dead. We have found his son, though." He pointed towards the ambulance, where Michael Jonathan Harker was sitting, a thick white blanket wrapped around him. He was holding a mug of steaming coffee. "He's over there. He's in a state of shock. We found him hidden behind a false wall."
Integra gave the young Harker a long look. If his father were dead, that boy would be his replacement in the Knights of the Round Table. "Were there any traces of true vampires or FREAKS? The ghouls wouldn't have acted on their own accord. Someone would have led them." A vampire was surely involved in this manner. Ghouls weren't that smart enough to attack one of the most heavily guarded mansions in England. These kind of cunning actions would have come from a vampire.
"That's the strange thing, Lord Hellsing. We didn't find any traces of any true vampires or FREAKS in the place. People were killed, yes, but mostly by ghouls. The surviving guards also said that all they saw were ghouls. There was no vampire with them." The captain thought for a moment. "Perhaps the vampire was ordering the ghouls from a nearby area."
"What about a young girl? Did you find any young girl?" Christina suddenly asked from behind Integra.
The man blinked. "No, Lady Christina. We didn't find a young girl there."
Christina turned at her mother. There was a worried frown on her face. "Anna and Michael Harker told me Rachel lives here. She should be here, unless she left or the ghouls carried her off." She spotted Michael Harker near the ambulance. Without another word, she headed for him.
She was about a foot or so away from him when she saw his face. She stopped abruptly, and stared at Michael who, as if sensing her presence, looked up at her. "Hello, Christina. I knew you'd be here," he said.
Christina was a little startled when he called her by her first name. He always called her 'Hellsing'. "I'm sorry about what happened," she managed to say, suddenly a little unsure how to act around him.
Michael gazed at the still-burning mansion. "I never thought I'd see the manor this way. My father always boasted how impenetrable Harker mansion was. It seems like he's wrong. My father…" his voice trailed off, and once again he looked at her. His gray eyes were somber and filled with regret. "My father…he's dead, you know."
"I'm sorry." She truly was sorry for Michael Harker. However, she could not the same thing for his father. "What happened?" she wanted to know.
"A bus slammed into a gate, then before we knew what was happening, ghouls came crawling out of the bus and attacked us." There was a bitter smile on his lips as he spoke. "My father told me to hide. He was going to stay behind. Of course, I wasn't about to let him do that, so I argued with him. By the time he finally convinced me to hide, the ghouls were already pounding on our door."
Michael paused, and swallowed hard, like there was a huge lump in his throat. "I managed to hide, but not before I saw my father being grabbed by the ghouls and being dragged away." His hands clenched into tight fists, so tight his knuckles turned white. "God, how I wanted to get out of my hiding place and kill those ghouls with my bare hands!" he sobbed out, his shoulders shaking. "But I didn't because I knew I had a duty to him, and to England. I could not forsake that. I had to live."
Christina stared at Michael for a moment, a little surprised by his speech. Michael Harker's sudden show of maturity was quite unexpected. She smiled slightly for a moment, then frowned, remembering why she was here in the first place. "Harker, where's Rachel? Isn't she supposed to be living with you?"
Michael's eyes widened, and he shot up. "My God! Rachel! I've almost forgotten about her! She was in the room across my father's study." His gray eyes were suddenly filled with panic as he frantically looked around. "My God, what happened to her? Where is she? I don't know! Everything happened so bloody fast!"
Christina felt a chill run up her spine. Stifling a curse, she turned to where her mother was. "Mother," she called in an urgent voice.
Integra walked over to where she was. "What is it, Christina?"
"Lord Harker is dead," Christina told her, glancing at a suddenly pale Michael. "Ghouls killed him."
The expression on Integra's face did not change. She merely nodded. "What about the girl?" she asked.
"She was in a room across Lord Harker's study. Do you think she's still alive?" Christina allowed herself to be a little optimistic about the whole thing, but she knew from experience what the outcome was.
Integra shook her head. "I don't think so, Christina. I'm sorry, but it is possible your friend is dead."
*******
It was dawn by the time mother and daughter arrived at the Hellsing manor. Michael Jonathan Harker was left under the care of Sir William Seward, another member of the Knights of the Round Table and J.J. Harker's great-uncle. Meanwhile, Integra sent a troop to Seward's mansion to guard the youth who after a few days would become the newest and youngest member of the Knights of the Round Table.
As for Rachel, Integra ordered some men to search for her. Both mother and daughter were not confident that Rachel Marie Kent would be found, but it was done, anyway.
A black-haired young man in his twenties greeted them when they arrived at the heliport. He was David Bradford, Walter's nephew of sorts. He had been recently employed and it was rumored that he was to replace his uncle when he died. "Have Celes and her team returned?" Integra asked the young man.
"Yes, Lord Hellsing. She arrived an hour or so ago. I believe she is in her room in the catacombs."
"Tell her I wish to speak to her in my study tomorrow. I also want Walter in my study." The young man bowed and left. Integra was about to head for her study when her daughter's voice stopped her.
"Mother, there is something I wish to discuss with you. In private, of course."
Their eyes met and held for a moment. Then, Integra nodded and said in a cool voice, "As you wish."
The two of them went to Integra's study. When the door closed behind them, Christina asked, "Why didn't you tell me about my father the first time I asked about him?"
"You would not have understood back then." Integra went to her desk and took a cigar.
"Was it because I was too young?" Christina smiled wryly. "Mother, I've seen a full-scale slaughter of ghouls, FREAKS and people when I was only eleven. I met one of the most feared vampire on Earth when I was five. As far as I know, I've never been too young for anything, except when it came to my father."
Integra lit her cigar, and took a leisurely puff. "Your father is another matter." Integra took a deep breath and studied her daughter. Christina seemed so grown up now. Perhaps it was time to tell her the truth about Christopher. "You see, Christina, your father was a…traitor."
"What?"
"After his death, Hellsing ran a routine investigation on him. It seems Christo–" Integra stopped abruptly. Even after all this years, she still found it hard to say her late husband's name aloud. "He was in league with those who make FREAK chips."
For a moment, Christina was speechless, stunned by what her mother had said. Her father was a traitor. No wonder her mother refused to talk about him. "But how could you be so sure?"
Integra closed her eyes and remembered the day she found out about Christopher's treachery. As she began to tell Christina the past, she could feel herself reliving it all again.
She had been in Greystone Castle, just a few days after Christopher was buried. She was in Christopher's study in the first floor, looking at the bookshelves. She had spotted a book about shoelaces–quite an odd thing. When she tried to pull it out, the bookshelf suddenly slid to the right, revealing a door that led to a secret room.
It was a secret labyrinth of rooms filled with horrors beyond imagining. Inside the some of the room were various instruments of torture. On the other rooms were several modern medical apparatuses. Notes were scattered all over the floor, all of them in Christopher's neat handwriting, and in one shelf were several small bottles filled with chemicals, each bottle containing a FREAK chip.
At first, Integra had thought Christopher had only been doing research on FREAK chips, but as the investigation went on, she discovered documents that showed Christopher's dealings with suspected FREAK chip manufacturers, the most recent being a certain John Mulroney.
If it weren't for her strong will, Christopher's betrayal would have broken Integra, who had just recently suffered a severe blow to her pride because of Alucard's actions. She had trusted Christopher, even cared for him a little. His deception was another blow to her already weakening trust on other people. It seemed like traitors were lurking everywhere.
The Queen had comforted her about the whole thing, and told her to forget about it, for the sake the child she was carrying–Christina. The Queen also assured her that no stigma would ever be placed on her and her child. The child would come to her inheritance, both as a Hellsing and as a Greystone. Christopher’s treachery would remain a secret forever.
"My God," Christina whispered, her scarlet eyes wide with shock and pain.
Integral wanted to hold her child, to comfort her and protect her from the pain of the truth, but she could only hold her daughter's hand tightly. "I am sorry, Christina," she said softly.
Not nearly as sorry as I am. Christina managed to smile at her mother. "There's nothing to be sorry about, Mother. I'm glad you told me the truth. Now I understand. Thank you." Then, she did something she rarely did: She kissed Integra softly on the cheek. "Get some sleep, Mummy. I'll see you tomorrow." Then without another word, Christina turned on her heel and left the study, leaving her mother staring after her.
~T.B.C.~
Whahahaha! Posted it. Anyway, Eden, in case you're curious, my fic has curtrently a total of 14 chapters posted, so it will be a matter of time before you'll be up to date. Hope you like this chapter!
Stella! *glomp* I love you! ja!
