The Hellsing Heir 11/?

[melrose_stormhaven]

Eden, I'm sorry I took so long. I had an article due and I had to finish it. Anyway, here's the continuation to Hellsing Heir. Thanks for reading...

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Hellsing. A brilliant Japanese guy owns the whole thing, along with GONZO, I guess.

Chapter XI: Confusing Realities

The heavy iron gates squeaked noisily as the old, wrinkled caretaker opened it with withered hands. Startled by the noise, several birds flew from a nearby tree, briefly covering the bright moon.

The old man stopped briefly, squinting his tired blue eyes as he watched the birds take flight. Then he grunted and let out a low whistle.

A huge dog appeared out of the darkness. It barked excitedly when it spotted its master. "Come, boy. It's time for our nightly walk." It was his habit as the estate's caretaker to make patrolling walks in the evening.

With the dog beside him, he began to walk on the gravel path heading for castle. The moon was bright enough for him to see, but he brought a flashlight with him just in case.

He looked up ahead, and not for the first time in his life he awed by the immensity of the estate he tended. The castle itself was huge, and the grounds and nearby forests where the lords of the castle used to hunt stretched out for miles. There weren't that many private estates as large as this one nowadays.

The place had been abandoned many years ago, when the current lord was killed in a horrible car accident. He had been the last of the line, so no one was left to inherit the estate. It was left to the care of a tenant, a young woman with long pale blonde hair and dark skin.

The first time he saw her, she was with the young lord. She was introduced to him as a friend of the family. Her name he had forgotten, but not the face. There was something unforgettable about the woman's face. He had seen her a few more times after that, and once after the young lord was killed. After that, it was usually solictors that he met and talked to.

Briefly, he wondered what happened to the young woman. Who really was she? Then his thoughts returned to the castle. It was an old one, how old he wasn't exactly sure. Build to frighten enemies as well as repel them, it was a fearsome sight to see with its massive and tall towers that seemed to claw at the sky.

He didn't live there. He lived in a small shack near the forest. He went inside the castle from time to time, checking on it. He wouldn't dare spend the night in the castle.

Like many old castles, the castle had an extensive dungeon. The caretaker had never seen it, since it was a hidden dungeon and only the lords and trusted friends or retainers knew the entrance to it. Nevertheless, he had heard stories. Oh yes, lots and lots of stories about the dungeon. Stories that would make the Tower of London seem like a kindergarten playground. There was even one story that a monster lived in the dungeon, a bloodsucking monster that was said to still roam the dungeon, looking for a way to escape. There was another story that the devil himself lived in the dungeon.

The old man shivered at the thought. So far, nothing unusual has happened in the past years. The man hoped it would stay this way until the day he died. He was an old man, and he really didn't need all that excitement.

He continued his walk, and to his relief, found nothing unusual. He called his dog.

He waited for a few minutes, but the dog did not come back. He whistled again, and waited. The dog was nowhere in sight. Then there were loud snapping noises somewhere in the woods.

Suddenly frightened, the old man nearly dropped his flashlight and ran to his house as fast as his old legs could. As soon as he was inside the house, he closed and locked all openings?windows, doors, and other holes. He grabbed his shotgun, awkwardly loaded it, and waited.

He waited for a long time, until it was morning again. No one came for him.

*******

"I want you to stop this!"

Alexander Anderson stared at Enrico Maxwell with surprise. "Stop? Why?"

Maxwell rose to his feet. He glared at Anderson. "The Hellsings are not our main priority right now. I suggest you stop this nonsense of finding the truth about the Hellsing heir and her mother. There far more pertinent things that require our attention than those girls."

Anderson's green eyes widened. The activities of the Hellsings have always been a pertinent matter for the Iscariot Division, and now Enrico Maxwell was telling him what he was doing was nonsense? Something is not right here, he thought.

"If you must persist with this endeavor of yours, assign someone else to do the investigation." Maxwell sat back on his chair. "I need you for other things. Ghouls and FREAKS have been increasing their activities these past few weeks, not only in England, but in other places as well. We have to deal with that."

Anderson nodded, but at the back of his mind, he was thinking of something else.

*******

Christina Elizabeth Hellsing checked her appearance on her mirror. The wine-colored dress was a little too snug for her and just a trifle too short. She self-consciously pulled the hem of her dress lower. She hoped she was presentable enough to meet the King and the royal princes.

"What are you wearing?" a familiar asked from behind her. "It's unseemly."

Christina whirled around, and found herself face-to-face with the vampire Alucard. There was a frown on his face as he stared at her. "Unseemly?" Christina said with some amusement. "Since when have you become an expert on women's fashions, Alucard?"

Alucard only scowled as a reply. He didn't like what Christina was wearing one bit. It showed too much of her body. If the dress were on another woman, Alucard would have appreciated it, but on her?

Christina twirled around, the hem of the dress flaring slightly as she did. "It's a perfectly good dress." If it weren't so short, she didn't add. She gave Alucard a level stare. "Did my mother sent you to watch over me?"

Since her abduction a day or so ago, Christina could constantly feel Alucard's or Celes's presence around her. Apparently, her mother wasn't taking any chances of her getting abducted again. She wasn't pleased about it, but she had little choice. Briefly, she wondered if this arrangement would continue when she went back to school. Somehow, she found the thought of Alucard or Celes prowling the halls of her dormitory in The Academy uneasy.

"No, your mother did not send me," Alucard replied with a mocking grin.

"I see." She knew she should be annoyed with his impromptu visits, but she was used to this habit of his, anyway. "Will you be traveling with us on the way to the palace?"

Alucard smiled. "Of course, little one." Do you think I'll let you and your mother go without me?

Christina said nothing. Just then, someone knocked at the door. "It's Walter," the vampire informed her.

"Come in," she said. The door opened, revealing Walter. The butler frowned when he saw Alucard but said nothing. He turned to Christina. "Miss Christina, Michael Jonathan Harker is downstairs, and requests an audience with you. He said it is a matter of supreme urgency."

She couldn't help being surprised. Michael Jonathan Harker dared come to Hellsing uninvited? "Does my mother know he's here?"

Walter shook his head. "No, I have yet to inform Lord Hellsing of his arrival." There was a look of disapproval on his face. He clearly had no affection for Harkers.

"There is no need to worry, Walter." She cast a glance at Alucard, who stood behind her. "I'll be quite all right. Send him up to my room."

"As you wish, Miss Christina." Walter stared at Alucard for a while, then left the room.

Christina turned to Alucard. "I believe it's time for you to disappear for a while. I wish to speak with him in private. I don't need you eavesdropping."

"Do you think that's wise, little one? Harkers can be quite loathsome creatures, I've noticed."

Christina gave the grinning vampire a warning glance. "Your prejudice is showing, Alucard. However, I must insist that you do nothing to him. His father is still a Knight of the Round Table."

"As you wish, little one," Alucard said mockingly as he bowed and disappeared into the shadows.

The door opened, and Michael Harker was ushered in. His hair was mussed up, and his eyes had a wary look in them. He strode into the room, then stopped abruptly when he saw Christina. "What are you wearing?" he asked, gray eyes suddenly wide. "You look?very beautiful," he added in a voice full of wonder.

Christina wanted to laugh at the unexpected compliment, but managed to regain her composure in time to stop herself. "What are you doing here, Harker?" she asked in a cool voice.

Michael didn't take his eyes off her. "I wanted to talk to you?about something my father's working on."

"Your father?"

He shifted his weight uncomfortably. "He's been acting strange these past days. He's working on some investigation, I think. His behavior has been very?erratic."

She gave him an annoyed look. "Then why are you talking to me? I'm not a psychiatrist."

Snorting, Michael replied, "I trust you more than I trust any psychiatrist. Besides, this isn't something a shrink should hear or could cure." He paused for a moment to take a deep breath. "I know you know my father's a member of the Knights of the Round Table. I know your mother is also a knight."

"Indeed?"

It was his turn to give her an annoyed look. "Don't be like that. I'm the heir too, you know, so I know these things. My father talks of little else when we're alone. I also know about that pet vampire of yours, Alucard?the same vampire who nearly killed my ancestors and yours as well."

That took Christina by surprise, although she didn't show it. She gave him a cool, slightly amused smile. "I don't know where you get those silly ideas. There are no vampires in Hellsing."

Michael shrugged. "So you say. My father seems to think so, though."

"Harker, why are you really here?"

"To warn you," he said in a sober voice. There was serious expression on his face. "Something's happening. I don't know what exactly, but I think my father's involved in this. Tell your mother."

Christina narrowed her eyes at him. "Does your father know you're here?"

"No." He smiled at her. "You really look ravishing in that dress. Where are going, anyway? Some party?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business, Harker."

Michael grinned insolently at her. "Still true to form, eh? Well, I'm sure you'll be the center of attention."

Ignoring his comment, Christina asked, "How's Rachel?"

"Rachel? Oh, she's?fine, I guess. She's become some sort of an introvert ever since Jean-Luc's died. She's still living with us, you know. Anna visits her from time to time. Why haven't you visited her, anyway?"

After what happened these past weeks? "I might." She regarded Michael coolly. She was getting a little irritated with him. She could feel that Alucard?wherever he was?was getting impatient as well with this Harker. "Is that all you have to say? I have pressing business to attend to."

His smile widened. "Well, that's all I have to say. Remember what I said, Hellsing. Take care."

As soon as Michael left her room, Alucard stepped out of the shadows. "The Harker boy seems to be quite taken with you," he remarked. His voice had a trace of irritation in it.

She gave the vampire slight smile. "Was he? I didn't notice."

*******

Integral Wingates Hellsing sat at the backseat of the sleek black limousine, her ice blue eyes intent on the road. She sat so still as to make a marble statue jealous. Only the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed betrayed the fact that she was alive.

Though her face was calm, there were many things going on her mind. She learned early in life how to conceal her thoughts and emotions. To other people it may seem like folly, but to her, it was more often than not a matter of survival.

Sitting beside Integra was her only child, her daughter Christina, who also happened to be one of the many 'things' in her mind. Her daughter had been silent since the limousine pulled out of the gates of Hellsing Manor to head for Buckingham Palace. Christina sat still, her eyes also trained on the road ahead.

Integra wondered what was going on inside her daughter's head. Like her, Christina often kept her thoughts and feelings to herself. However, Christina was little more open-minded with many things, like dealing with Catholics. She could be considerate and charming when she chooses to be, something Integra wasn't keen at.

Christina's solicitousness and charm were probably the only traits she inherited from Christopher. Integra hoped her daughter did not inherit the darker side of her late husband.

The thought of Christopher brought back to Integra the conversation she had with her daughter several minutes before they left Hellsing. Finally, after years of silence, Integra told Christina the name of her father.

Christina had stared at her with expressionless scarlet eyes. "Greystone?" she echoed softly.

"Yes. Your father's name is Christopher Henry Greystone. He is the Earl of Greywall. He is a?"

"A distant cousin to the King," Christina cut in quietly. She was quite familiar with the noble houses, since the library had a giant book dedicated to that. "I see."

Her daughter did not ask any questions after that. Christina simply smiled at her and thanked her for finally telling her the name of her father. Then, she excused herself from the room.

Christina's reaction at the revelation was faintly disturbing. Integra had anticipated questions and recriminations from her, not acquiescence.

Integra's gaze shifted to Alucard. Did Alucard overstep his bounds and actually told Christina her true heritage? Integra dismissed the idea. If Alucard had told Christina, all hell would have broken loose by now.

Why am I thinking this way? she thought to herself. Full of doubts and fears.

Integra instantly knew why. It was because of the events these past weeks?Christina's still unexplained abduction, the killings in London, the appearance of a magic-wielding vampire, the increased production of FREAK chips, the warning Michael Harker had given her daughter, and even this dinner with the king.

Integra rarely believed in omens. She was a Protestant, and besides, omens were a thing of the superstitious past. Catholics were more prone to believe in omens, seeped in mysticism as they were. However, she knew better to ignore the obvious. She did not need dancing suns, statues of Mary crying blood, or the alignment of the planets to tell her something was going to happen. It was plain for all of those who took the time to observe to see.

It was somewhere in the middle of summer, but it was as cold as winter inside the limousine. It could have been due to the air-conditioning, or because of the legendary vampire that sat in the front seat beside the driver. Integra personally and firmly believed it was due to neither, since the coldness she felt was probably not due to any outside element, but from something deep within her. There was something wrong in the air, and it made her uncomfortable in a degree that she was not prepared to acknowledge.

"Mother." Her daughter's voice broke through her thoughts, bringing Integra back to reality. She turned to Christina, who was looking at her with a puzzled frown. "Are you all right? We're here."

Integra glanced outside. The gates of Buckingham palace loomed in front of the limousine. As it opened, Integra shunted aside her disturbing thoughts.

~T.B.C.~

[Amidala]

I have no idea where you are heading with this.... and that is a good thing. ^_^

[Eden]

Ahh! Another chapter for me to mull over. It makes me soo happy to see Christina acting indiferent to that Harker boy. He seems so fake to me, like theirs something behind his whole "I'm here to help you" act. I'm sure that their is, but that too will be revieled in time.

Was that fatherly jelously I saw in Alucard when he pointed out the "Unseamlyness" of Christina's dress? Too cool! I had a good giggle at that part. Maybe he'll be more tempted to tell her about her real parentage later on. Now that would be interesting, especially to see if Integra beats him too it or not. Hummm, . . .

Beautifully done, you add the right amont of suspence at the end to make you want more, but not so much on this one to send me on a murderous rampage. Totally understand about the update though, school's got me hooked right now too.

Until next chapter then!

~Eden (Who dosn't mind waiting when she knows the next chapter's comming as soon as possible! )