A Vampire's Ode: The Ballad of Count Malachi

A carriage rumbled through the gates of the Malachi estates, pulling up to a grand courtyard nestled within a courted yard. Alex and Richard stood out front as sailors, men from Richard's boating company came and with crates to be loaded onto the ship.

Richard looked to and from pointing and directing the men. "No, take that crate into the carriage – be careful with that, there's weapons in there!"

"Weapons?" Alex looked with a raised eyebrow.

Richard through his hands in the air as if caught by the constables of law. "Sorry, Son... I wish I could say that these trips are all rainbows and sunshine, but you do not deserve to be lied to. There are pirates and other types of ungodly things out there."

"Father, I – don't" Alex started to say.

"Don't you worry, Alex. This is to be a simple expedition. Besides, I am not due to leave for another few days. We will more than prepared for this journey." Richard said, with an insuring tone.

"My lord, there is a carriage out front... say's he is here for the young count." Said a flat-nosed sailor who looked to be in his late fifties.

"Looks like that is your ride, you'd better get to it. Tell the Governor, my apologies for my absence, but I must stick to time." Richard laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "I... am sorry I put you in theses predicaments, but after your mother passed, I seen no light at the end of the tunnel, only darkness."

"Father, what if I skipped this training and traveled this with you." Alex face lit with excitement although his was sure of the answer before he even asked the question.

"Alexander... I know you would like to come... I need you to attend the parties and the political circles. Our family cannot maintain without the prominence we have gained thus far. I have made many enemies getting us to this point, for that I am sorry. But you'll come to understand one day...now – enough talking you must not keep the governor's carriage maid waiting." Richard pushed his son toward the double gates.

"Sorry... for what?" Alex thought to himself. He looked back over his shoulder catching eyes with his father that smiled with pride at his son.

When Alex arrived, the carriage rumbled through the gates of the Governor estate, pulling up to a grand courtyard within the battlement walls. Soldiers and guards, their faces etched with discipline, moved with precision as they engaged in rigorous training exercises. The air was filled with the rhythmic clash of blades and the sound of boots against the cobblestone.

Among the ranks of the soldiers, nobles stood, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and detached amusement. They observed the training with the detached air of spectators at a play., their conversations hushed and laced with subtle poison.

One noble, Lord Beaufort, approached Alex with a small smirk dancing on his lips. "Ah, young Malachi, I hear your father deals in spices. A quaint trade, I must say. There are far more important pursuits, relics and artifact of great value that could elevate your family's standing."

Alex's jaw clenched, his pride for his father surging within him. "My father's trade is a honorable one, Lord Beaufort. He brings treasures from distant lands to enrich lives... do you not feel enriched by the materials you've received from my father?"

Lord Beaufort's chuckle was condescending. "Treasures, you say? Perhaps, young Malachi. But I've heard whispers from sailors of ghastly sight on the seas, otherworldly and unholy. Perhaps your father should turn his eye to such matters... least he loses his life and the life of his sailors."

Before Alex could respond, another noble, Lady Rosalind, joined the conversation, her voice dripping with fascination and morbid curiosity. "Pirates, they say. Vessels draped in darkness, bearing flags unknown to any mortal. Tales of cursed treasures and lost souls. It sends shivers down one's spine, does it not?"

Alex's discomfort grew, the stories of the sailors painting a vivid, unsettling picture. He recalled his father's words about it not always being rainbows and sunshine as they load crates of weapons. He searched for an escape from the ghastly Lady Rosalind and Lord Beaufort, a reprieve from the unease that settled in his chest. It suddenly felt suffocating in his tight low-cut single-breast suit coat.

Just as he felt the weight of the conversation pressing down on him, a familiar voice rang out, slicing through the tension like a blade. "Ah, Lord Beaufort, Lady Rosalind. Always seeking the thrill of the unknown, I see."

It was Vlad, his presence a welcome relief. He stepped forward, a wry smile playing on his lips as if he was prepared to do battle. "Alex, my dear friend, forgive me for interrupting, but I must steal you away for a moment. Ther are matter that require our attention."

Alexander gratefully bowed, "Of course, sir." He said, mockingly. Alex turned back to the nobles, bowed deeply, "Your conversation is like gold that never tarnishes, I will treasure it forever." Alex walked away, leaving behind the unsettling tales and the prying eyes of the nobles. As they moved through the courtyard, Vlad's gaze settled on Alex, his eyes sharp and assessing.

"Alex, my friend, you handled yourself well back there. But I could see the discomfort in your eyes. Theses are shark-infested waters, they can smell blood from afar. Pirates and otherworldly tales are not for the faint of heart." He smiled at his friend.

A drop of anger swelled up in Alex, it was Vlad who brought him here, but it was his father that made him come. But how could he stay angry at either, he loved them both and Vlad had come saved his life from the vultures of court.

Alex nodded, his breath coming easier now that they were away from the prying eyes. "Indeed, Vlad. The world can be a dark and mysterious place, filled with wonders and terrors beyond our imagining. But it isn't it what we live for? The excitement?, the thrill? It is what dreams are made of."

"And nightmares..." Vlad added. "What's gotten into you, my friend?" Vlad laughed out loud. "I am happy that you decided not to go missing and join us this afternoon for the military demonstrations." He added.

Alex put on finger in the air, "Only to observe!" Alex narrowed his eyes at his suspicious friend.

Vlad laughed again, "Yes, yes... only to observe... or you can join us for the fun and games. You've had formal training; you know your way around a sword. None of that his new to you at all." Vlad ticked off one finger for each point.

Their attention was drawn away to a crowd making their way toward the raised balcony where the governor and his mistress sat. They all stopped to stare at Helena Dragomir as she entered the patio space and took her seat next to the mistress. She looked around until she spotted Alex and Vlad, then waved with her fan in one hand. Both the friends bowed in respect as they turned back to their conversation.

"Are you sure you want to sit this one out? It would a good opportunity to secure a better foothold for your father's house." Vlad said with a raised eyebrow.

Alex waved away the idea like a bad scent. "I think I'll have a seat with the nobles and pluck my nose in the air like everything stinks."

They both laughed at the idea as they put their noses high in the air. Alex made his way toward his seat while Vlad put on took his place among the ranks of soldiers. The games were now underway.

Soldiers from each noble family stood in their battlement lines, adorning colors for each house. Proudly displaying the noble's family crest as they began running through formations for battlements, exercises and strategies within the different terrains offered by the battlement yard.

Alex watched the spectacle with pure excitement, although he cares nothing about war, fighting and the like, he understood the need for the show of power and might within court and for Governor Tepes. With the neighboring country ready to spill blood for the resources, it was important to hold such exercises for loyalty. Alex looked at each noble in their secluded places, wondering which of them would turn on Governor Tepes should they have the opportunity to.